MODELING HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER DURING THE OVEN ROASTING OF MEAT

The roasting (baking) of meat involves both heat and mass transfer. A mathematical model which describes the roasting process as it occurs in a conventional oven is presented. Numerical solutions are presented for several different roasting conditions and the results are compared to available experimental results. A significant fraction of the energy required for roasting is associated with the evaporation of water and this needs to be considered in modeling the roasting process. Water losses due to mass transfer from the product depend on oven humidity and temperature. The mathematical model considers the variation of oven humidity with time during roasting. The implicit alternating direction finite difference method is used to obtain the numerical solutions.