Question:

Diffusion of water molecules within solid food follows which of the following laws ?

Show Hint

- Momentum Transfer \(\rightarrow\) Newton's Law
- Heat Transfer \(\rightarrow\) Fourier's Law
- Mass Transfer (Diffusion) \(\rightarrow\) Fick's Law
  • Newtons law
  • Kick's law
  • Fick's law
  • Charles law
Show Solution
collegedunia
Verified By Collegedunia

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Mass transfer within solid food matrices during processing operations, such as drying, dehydration, or salting, is driven by concentration gradients.
Detailed Explanation:
The transport of water molecules from regions of high concentration (inside the food) to regions of low concentration (the food surface) occurs via molecular diffusion.
This molecular mass transfer is governed by Fick's Laws of Diffusion.
- Fick's First Law: Describes steady-state diffusion, stating that the mass flux is proportional to the concentration gradient.
- Fick's Second Law: Describes non-steady-state diffusion, which is used to model how concentration changes over time during food drying processes:
\[ \frac{\partial C}{\partial t} = D \frac{\partial^2 C}{\partial x^2} \] Where \( D \) is the diffusion coefficient.
Let us review the other options for clarity:
- Newton's Law of Viscosity: Governs momentum transfer in fluids.
- Kick's Law: Describes the energy required for size reduction of solids.
- Charles's Law: Describes gas volume changes with temperature.
Therefore, Fick's law is the only principle that governs mass diffusion.

Step 2: Final Answer:

The diffusion of water molecules follows Fick's law.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0