Heat and mass transfer modeling during storage of part-baked Sangak traditional flat bread in MAP

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) induces some interaction between product and ambiance; the interaction is linked in particular to heat and mass transfer phenomena during storage time. In order to study changes in a MAP system, heat conduction and convection, gas solution and diffusion, gas permeation in the polymeric film, evaporation and condensation phenomena have been accommodated in a mechanistic model. The model has been validated against experimental data of part-baked Sangak bread packaged in 100% CO2. The good match between predicted and experimental data confirmed validation of the model. Results showed that the storage temperature has an important impact on the headspace gas composition and volume of package. In this study, because of the important effect of CO2 solubility on equilibrium gas composition, CO2 solubility for part-baked Sangak bread was measured experimentally. The developed model is a suitable tool for describing and optimizing the MAP of non-respiring products in flexible plastic packages.