Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Determination of the Diffusivity of Water in Biological Tissue

Nature volume 210, pages 301–303 (1966)Cite this article

Abstract

THE problem of dehydrating vegetable tissue has been investigated for many years. We have attempted to establish a method for calculating the diffusion coefficient of water during dehydration of several systems. From the work of Carslaw and Jaeger1, Crank2 has developed a series of equations for diffusion with surface evaporation from porous membranes of different geometrical shapes. We have considered the cell structure of vegetables to approximate to a porous membrane and have applied Crank's equations for a plane sheet and a cylinder to vegetable dehydration.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Carslaw, H. S., and Jaeger, J. C., Conduction of Heat in Solids, first edition (Oxford University Press, 1946).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Crank, J., Mathematics of Diffusion, first edition (Oxford University Press, 1957).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Sherwood, T. K., Indust. Eng. Chem., 21, 12 (1929).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bekkar, H. A., and Sallans, H. R., Cereal Chem., 32, 212 (1955).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Haque, S. M. M., and Eubank, P. T., Food Technol., 18, 132 (1964).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Fish, B. P., in Symp. Fundamental Aspects of the Dehydration of Foodstuffs, Aberdeen, 1958, 143 (Society of Chemical Industry, 1958).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Graupner, K., and Winter, E. R. S., J. Chem. Soc., 1145 (1952).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unilever Research Laboratory, Colworth House, Sharnbrook, Bedford

    J. G. LAWRENCE & R. P. W. SCOTT

Authors
  1. J. G. LAWRENCE
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. P. W. SCOTT
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

LAWRENCE, J., SCOTT, R. Determination of the Diffusivity of Water in Biological Tissue. Nature 210, 301–303 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/210301a0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/210301a0

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing