The influence of the concentration: Variable diffusivity on the mass transfer from a polymer into a liquid

Abstract

The unsteady, conjugate, mass transfer of the packaging constituents to a food product has been analysed. The system was considered motionless (hydrostatic conditions). The diffusion coefficient inside the packaging material was considered concentration variable while the diffusion coefficient inside the food product was considered constant. The mass balance equations were solved numerically. The influence of the concentration‐variable diffusivity on the mass transfer mechanism and rate was analysed for different values of the partition coefficient and packaging thickness.