Numerical simulation of mass transfer during the osmotic dehydration of biological tissues

In this paper a mathematical model based on mass transfer in plant tissues is developed. The model takes into account the diffusion and convection of each constituent within the tissue. The driving force for the convection is assumed to be the gradient of hydrostatic pressure. The mass balance equation for the transport of each constituent is established separately for intracellular and extracellular volumes but taking into account the mass exchange across the cell membrane between the intracellular and extracellular volumes. The mass transfer results in not only the change of intracellular and extracellular volumes but also the shrinkage of whole tissue. The model allows us to quantitatively simulate the time evolution of intracellular and extracellular volumes, which was observed in histological sections under the microscope. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.