Numerical Analysis of Sustainable Drying with and without Shrinkage to Revolutionize Food Preservation

Moisture distribution plays a critical role in determining the quality, shelf life, and texture of food products during drying and preservation. Accurate simulation and prediction of this distribution are essential for optimizing processing conditions and minimizing undesirable changes. This study presents a high-order numerical approach using the Chebyshev–Galerkin spectral method to solve axisymmetric heat and mass transfer equations that govern convective air drying under Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. The model incorporates both thermal and moisture diffusion dynamics and accounts for the impact of material shrinkage. The considered object is grape and assumed to be spherical in shape. Comparative numerical results for models with and without shrinkage reveal significant variations in temperature and moisture profiles, highlighting the influence of structural deformation on drying behavior. These insights contribute to the development of more precise and efficient food drying strategies in industrial applications.