Numerical Simulation of Water Absorption and Swelling in Dehulled Barley Grains during Canned Porridge Cooking

Abstract

Understanding the hydration behavior of cereals during cooking is industrially important in order to optimize processing conditions. In this study, barley porridge was cooked in a sealed tin can at 100, 115, and 121 °C, respectively, and changes in water uptake and hygroscopic swelling in dehulled barley grains were measured during the cooking of canned porridge. In order to describe and better understand the hydration behaviors of barley grains during the cooking process, a three-dimensional (3D) numerical model was developed and validated. The proposed model was found to be adequate for representing the moisture absorption characteristics with a mean relative deviation modulus (P) ranging from 4.325% to 5.058%. The analysis of the 3D simulation of hygroscopic swelling was satisfactory for describing the expansion in the geometry of barley. Given that the model represented the experimental values adequately, it can be applied to the simulation and design of cooking processes of cereals grains, allowing for saving in both time and costs.