Diffusion analysis of carbon dioxide released by egg respiration at different storage temperatures based on FLUENT

Abstract

Temperature is an important factor affecting the changes in the amount of gas exchanged between eggs and the surrounding during storage. The effect of temperature changes on the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) from eggs was studied using eggs from the same breed. The experimental samples were divided into three groups, and placed in a storage box at 4, 25, or 35°C with 65% relative humidity for 20 days, and a breathalyser was used to measure the amount of CO2 released by the eggs. The FLUENT software was used to simulate the diffusion at different temperatures. The conclusion from the present work was that as the temperature decreased, the amount and speed of CO2 released by the eggs also decreased. The simulation results show that the diffusion of CO2 released by egg respiration can be divided into the following sequential stages: initial, descending, mixing, and turbulence. When the storage temperature was 4°C, the CO2 cloud of eggs was the lowest, followed by 35°C, and finally 25°C. The results show that the direction of gas diffusion was mainly affected by temperature, diffusion volume, and diffusion velocity, and that temperature mainly affected vertical gas diffusion. The present work thus provides a theoretical basis for egg respiration related research.