Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers are designing ways to better store fresh food, after examining plant tissue behaviour and how biological cells behave when dehydrated or dried.
Computational scientist from QUT’s Faculty of Science and Engineering Dr Charith Rathnayaka is investigating the physics, mathematics, and biology of agricultural cell structures to improve food production.
Rathnayaka said the findings of this study have the potential for better designs for industrial drying of fruits, vegetables, or any other plant biological material.
"By developing the computational model, it is possible to estimate how the cells are being damaged when they are being processed for preservation, storage or packaging,” Rathnayaka said.
“This innovation has the potential to influence the future of food drying processes globally in terms of reducing cost, optimising food processing, energy conservation and increasing dried food shelf life.”
When using fresh apples as an example, Rathnayaka had the apples simulataneously dried and imaged, then compared to the prediction from simulationas.
It revealed the microscopic tissues of the apple and the differences between fresh conditions and extremely dried conditions.
“One specific reason for using apple as representative plant-food material was due to the abundant availability of experimental findings," he said.
“It showed that by controlling the processing conditions such as temperature, pressure, humidity and processing speed, it is possible to control the damage on apple cells to extract the best nutritional value.”
“Due to the high pressure in the cells at fresh conditions, they are highly vulnerable to higher forces that take place during processing such as cutting, packing, or extruding. This provides valuable insights for not only processing apples but many other comparable fruits and vegetables.”
Key finds from the study included:
- The computational model developed conclusively demonstrated it can simulate the micromechanical behaviour of dried plant cells;
- Insight on improving design of industrial machinery for food drying processes;
- Implications to move beyond plant cells to biomedical and human cosmetic applications.
