Abstract
The formulation of a dry fermented sausage has been modified by the addition of carrot dietary fiber (CDF; 3, 6, 9, and 12% [w/w]), and the influence of this change on the drying curves and food microstructure has been studied. The CDF content influenced the initial moisture content as well as the drying rate. A diffusion model taking into account the change in the product formulation has been proposed to simulate the drying curves. A constant mass transfer coefficient of 2.53 × 10−8 m/s was obtained and the effective water diffusivity varied exponentially with the CDF content from 0.99 × 10−11 m2/s (0% CDF) to 2.08 × 10−11 m2/s (12% CDF). The simulation of the drying curves was satisfactory (mean relative error of 0.5 ± 0.1%). No differences in the microstructure related to the proteolytic process were found among samples with different CDF contents.
