_

Food Science and Technology Research, 26 (4), 459 468, 2020

Copyright © 2020, Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology
http://www.jsfst.or.jp
doi: 10.3136/fstr.26.459

Original paper
Simulation of Temperature Profile and Moisture Loss of Fresh Cucumber
Fruit and Visualization of Commercial Storage Duration

Seong-Heon Kim1, Chinatsu Nishihara1, Fumina Tanaka2* and Fumihiko Tanaka2

1
Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku,
Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
2
Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan

Received January 21, 2020 ; Accepted March 26, 2020

In cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit, transpiration is a significant factor that affects freshness and
shelf-life. During storage, fresh cucumber requires careful management of moisture loss to delay quality
deterioration. To assist with the determination of optimal storage conditions, this study was conducted to
develop a simultaneous heat and mass transfer model for cucumber and to present a duration chart for
cucumber storage. The simulation was performed using COMSOL software. The transpiration rate factor
was determined as a regression equation on the vapor pressure deficit. The determination coefficient (R2) and
root-mean-square error (RMSE) of temperature simulation ranged from 0.920 to 0.994 and 0.293 to 0.239 ℃,
respectively. The accuracy of the moisture loss simulation varied from 0.986 to 0.996 R2 and from 0.418 to
0.325 % RMSE. A temperature-humidity-dependent storage duration chart that ensures moisture loss of 5 %
was developed by interpolation.

Keywords: finite element simulation, heat and mass transfer, postharvest, transpiration

Introduction economic loss since such commodities are priced by weight

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a plant species belonging
to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae and is related to melon and
squash. The fruit is regarded as one of the most popular
horticultural products around the world, and it is widely
consumed due to its unique flavor, crunchy texture, and
numerous health benefits (Mohammadi and Omid, 2010). The
fresh fruit is consumed raw in salads, sandwiches, or cold
soups due to its plentiful dietary fiber and minerals (Liang et
al., 2012). The storage of fresh cucumber should be managed
by predicting the moisture loss in any storage condition to
preserve freshness, as moisture content is a significant quality
parameter (Eboibi et al., 2018).
Transpiration, which directly affects the moisture content,
is an important factor in determining quality deterioration and
shelf-life in horticultural commodities (Kader, 2002). Excessive
moisture loss contributes to a significant reduction in fresh
weight, resulting in a decrease in market value and substantial
(Nunes et al., 2011). The transpiration rate is proportional to
the water vapor pressure deficit (VPD) between the skin of the
commodity and the surrounding air, and is inversely
proportional to the skin and boundary resistance (Yahia and
Carrillo-Lopez, 2018). Improper climatic conditions, such as
high temperature and low relative humidity (RH), induce
serious moisture loss and occur mostly during storage or
transportation (Yahia, 2019). Thus, knowledge of the optimal
combination of temperature and RH for the storage of fresh
horticultural commodities is necessary to preserve the freshness
by minimizing the moisture loss.
Mathematical modeling provides a robust, practical
engineering solution for predicting physical and physiological
responses in commodities (Bovi et al., 2016). In terms of
moisture loss, the gravimetric approach is considered as a
simple approach to predict the moisture content (Karathanos
and Belessiotis, 1999). However, this method provides limited

*To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: fuminat@bpes.kyushu-u.ac.jp

460
detail on transpiration due to the complexity of modeling of
skin resistance (Song et al., 2002). A simultaneous heat and
mass transfer model is an attractive method because the
moisture loss behavior, including transpiration, is considered to
be driven by an interactive process of heat and mass movement
(Castro et al., 2018). Song et al. (2002) developed respiration
models for harvested blueberries using a simultaneous heat and
mass transfer model. Several models have been proposed for
estimating transpiration in various horticultural commodities;
however, most were conducted without modeling of skin
resistance.
Transpiration models are required to involve the effect of
transpiration rate reduction because the transpiration rate of
commodities reduces nonlinearly over time. For example, the
transpiration rate in tomato fruit is significantly decreased by
50 % of its initial value after 14 d in storage (Díaz-Pérez and
Araiza, 1997). The transpiration rate decline is due to increased
resistance to moisture diffusion through the skin of the
commodity as moisture loss continues (Yahia and Carrillo-
Lopez, 2018). In this respect, the transpiration rate can be
expressed as a function of the vapor pressure deficit, and its
specific coefficients will differ between epidermal conditions
as well as fruit varieties. In addition to transpiration rate
reduction, it is also necessary to determine the optimal climatic
conditions for postharvest storage. More than 90 % of weight
loss occurs in perishable commodities during storage or
transport due to improper climatic conditions (Shirazi and
Cameron, 1993), and this results in serious economic losses.
There are many established climatic conditions for various
commodities, but the guidelines only offer fixed temperature
and RH without considering the comprehensive situation in
storage facilities.
Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a
simultaneous heat and mass transfer model to estimate
transpiration in fresh cucumber fruit during storage. The
coupled model includes evaporative heat removal by heat
transfer and the skin and boundary layer resistance to mass
transfer. Additionally, the moisture loss rate factor was
determined as a function of vapor pressure deficit. Finally, the
model was validated using experimental data, and a
temperature-RH chart that displays the commercial maximum
duration for cucumber storage is presented.
Materials and Methods
Sample preparation Fresh Japanese cucumbers (Cucumis
sativus L.) harvested in the proper season were obtained from
local agricultural markets (JA Itoshima and JA Asakura) in
Fukuoka, Japan, and the fruits were transported promptly to the
laboratory. Mechanically damaged fruits were excluded from
the sample group, and cucumbers within the range of 100 to
110 g in weight and 20 to 22 cm in length were used. The intact
cucumbers were kept in a 4 ℃ refrigerator for 10 min after
sealing in a plastic bag and a cardboard box to minimize the
S.-H. Kim et al.
cold shock and lower the physiological activity until the start
of the experiment. The sorted samples were then used to
determine the thermal-physical properties of cucumber and to
collect experimental data, such as temperature profile and
moisture loss.
_
Thermal-physical properties The density ρ (kg m 3) of
cucumbers was calculated using the water displacement
method with water at 22 ℃, and the formula is given in Eq. 1:
m
ρ= V ······Eq. 1
where m is the initial fresh weight of cucumber (kg) and V
is the volume (m3) corresponding to the weight. In this study,
all the gravitational parameters were measured using a precise
digital balance with linearity of ± 0.02 g (FX-3000i, A&D Co.,
Ltd., Tokyo, Japan).
To determine the moisture content of cucumber, cucumbers
with an average fresh weight of 104.5 g were dried in a forced
convection drying oven (DK63, Yamato Scientific Co., Ltd.,
Tokyo, Japan) at 105 ℃ for 3 d (Özbek and Dadali, 2007).
After measuring the dry weight, the wet-basis moisture content
_ _
Xwb (kg kg 1, w.b.) and dry-basis moisture content Xdb (kg kg 1,
d.b.) were evaluated using Eq. 2 and Eq. 3, respectively:
W
Xwb = (W +wW )  ······Eq. 2
w d
W
Xdb = Ww  ······Eq. 3
d
where Ww is the weight of water inside the cucumber (kg)
and Wd is the dry weight of the cucumber (kg).
Geometric modeling The 3D geometry of cucumber was
reconstructed using a series of X-ray computed tomography
(CT) images of real cucumber fruits. The X-ray CT scanner
(Latheta LCT-100, Hitachi Aloka Medical, Tokyo, Japan)
obtained tomography images of a cucumber fruit with 3 mm
pitches at 50 kV and 1 mA. The resolution of the CT image was
250 μm (480 × 480 pixels). These images were imported into
Amira software (Amira 6.1, Thermo Fisher Scientific,
Massachusetts, USA) and then assembled to develop a 3D
geometry model. The cucumber geometry was then adjusted to
the average size of the cucumber samples.
Modeling assumption it is assumed that cucumber fruit
consist of homogeneous material and heat generation by
respiration is negligible, the influence of surface shrinkage on
transpiration is neglected, and the stomatal aperture is
invariable.
Governing equations In heat transfer, the governing
equation of conductive heat transfer in a steady state was
defined in Eq. 4:
∂T
ρCp ∂t = (k· T) ······Eq. 4
Δ Δ
_
where ρ is the density (kg m 3), T is the temperature at any
Simultaneous Heat and Mass Transfer Simulation of Cucumber Fruit 461

location inside the cucumber at any time (K), Cp is the specific which was presented by Fasina et al. (2002) and is expressed in
_ _
heat at constant pressure (J kg 1 K 1), and k is the thermal Eq. 12:
_1 _1
conductivity (W m K ). The specific heat and thermal
conductivity are expressed in Eq. 5 (Siebel, 1982) and Eq. 6 Cs = (Ce ‒ C∞) exp (‒ft) + C∞ ······Eq. 12
(Sweat, 1974), respectively:
_
where Ce is the equilibrium moisture concentration (kg m 3)
Cp = 2 990 × Xwb + 1 200 ······Eq. 5 and f is the transpiration rate factor (decimal). The boundary
condition of mass flux at the surface is rearranged as Eq. 13:
k = 0.493 × Xwb + 0.148 ······Eq. 6
n∙ (D∙ C) = hm (Ce ‒ C∞) exp (‒ft) ······Eq. 13
Δ
_
where Xwb is the wet-basis moisture content (kg kg 1, w.b.).
In mass transfer, the governing equation of mass diffusion Finally, based on the ideal gas law, the boundary mass flux
was derived from Fick’s law and is given by Eq. 7: is transformed into Eq. 14:

∂C
∂t =
Δ
(D∙ C)
Δ
······Eq. 7 n∙ (D∙ C)=
Δ Mw hm
Ru [( a TP
w
s
sat
‒ )
Psat RH
]
T∞ exp(‒ft) ······Eq. 14
_
where C is the mass concentration of moisture inside a where Mw is the molecular weight (kg mol 1) of water, Ru is
_ _ _
cucumber at any internal location and any time (kg m 3), and D the universal gas constant (J mol 1 K 1), aw is the water activity
_
is the mass diffusivity of water inside a cucumber (m2 s 1), of cucumber (decimal), RH is the relative humidity (decimal),
which was developed by AL-Hafidh and Ameen (2008) and is and P sat is the saturated water vapor pressure (Pa) at the
given in Eq. 8: cucumber’s surface, which was suggested by Buck (1996) and
is given by Eq. 15:
D=1.29×10‒6 exp (‒0.0725 ) exp ( T‒273 )
2 040  ······Eq. 8
[( )( )]
Xwb T‒273 T‒273
Psat=0.61121exp 18.679 ‒ 235.5 ‒ T‒15.86 ······Eq. 15
Initial and boundary conditions For the initial condition,
the distribution of the initial temperature and water Heat and mass transfer coefficients To calculate the heat
concentration at time t = 0 was assumed to be uniform over the and mass transfer coefficients, the geometry of cucumber fruit
whole cucumber fruit, as in Eq. 9: was simplified into a cylindrical shape. For the storage with
laminar state flow, Eq. 16 was used to determine the heat
T (any location, t)=T0, at t = 0
 ······Eq. 9 transfer coefficient (Agrawal and Methekar, 2017).
C (any location, t)=C0, at t = 0
hL
where T0 and C0 are the initial temperature (K) and initial Nu= k = 0.664Re1/2Pr1/3 ······Eq. 16
_ a
concentration (kg m 3), respectively.
In a simultaneous process of heat and mass transfer, the where Nu is Nusselt’s number, k a is the thermal
_ _
heat transition through the surface of a food material includes conductivity of air (W m 1 K 1), L is the characteristic length
the heat removal by evaporation (Agrawal and Methekar, (m), and Re and Pr are the Reynolds and Prandtl numbers,
_
2017). In this study, the heat flux (W m 2 ) through the respectively.
cucumber skin is given by Eq. 10: Estimation of transpiration requires the combination of skin
mass resistance and boundary resistance (Bovi et al., 2016).
_
n∙ (k∙ T) = h (Ts‒T∞) + n∙λ (D∙ C) ······Eq. 10 Thus, the total mass transfer coefficient h m (m s 1) can be
Δ Δ

divided into two terms as Eq. 17:

where n is the normal vector, h is the convective heat
_ _
transfer coefficient (W m 2 K 1), Ts is the temperature at any hm‒1 = hb‒1+ hs‒1 ······Eq. 17
location on the skin at any time (K), T∞ is the temperature of
_ _
ambient air (K), and λ is the latent heat of vaporization (J kg 1). where hb is the boundary mass transfer coefficient (m s 1)
_
The mass flux at the boundary, which is the so-called and hs is the skin mass transfer coefficient (m s 1). Based on
transpiration rate or moisture loss rate, is given by Eq. 11: Sastry and Buffington (1983), these coefficients are described
as Eq. 18 and Eq. 19, respectively:
n∙(D∙ C) = hm (Cs‒C∞) ······Eq. 11
Δ
D D
hb = La Sh = La (0.664Re1/2Sc1/3) ······Eq. 18
_1
where hm is the mass transfer coefficient (m s ), C∞ is the
_ Da φ
moisture concentration in the atmosphere (kg m 3), and Cs is hs = τ  ······Eq. 19
_
the moisture concentration on the surface at any time (kg m 3),
462
Table 1 . Climatic conditions used for the parameter determination and model
validation
Use Condition no. Temperature (℃)
Model development
Temperature estimation
Moisture estimation
_
where Da is the diffusivity of water vapor in the air (m2 s 1),
Sh, Re, Pr, and Sc are the Schmidt, Reynolds, Prandtl, and
Schmidt number, respectively, φ is the fraction of pore area
covering on the surface (decimal), and τ is the thickness of the
skin (m).
Determination of transpiration rate factor The transpiration
rate factor represents an empirical constant to regulate the
dehydration rate of commodities (Perea-Flores et al., 2012). To
determine this factor in Eq. 12, the actual moisture loss data
were collected using 100 cucumbers (25 fruits for each
condition). While storing the cucumbers in the environmental
chambers (TPAV-120-20, Isuzu Seisakusho, Tokyo, Japan)
with four different environmental conditions for 8 d, the weight
of each fruit was recorded every 24 h. The climatic conditions
are shown in Table 1 (no. 1 to 4). The changes in moisture ratio
MR (decimal) at each condition were calculated using Eq. 20,
which was proposed for high moisture foods by Özdemir et al.
(2017) and the total moisture loss were estimated using Eq. 21:
X
MR = X  ······Eq. 20
0
( X
)
MLtotal = 1 ‒ X1 × 100
0
······Eq. 21
_
where X is the moisture content at any time (kg kg 1, dry-
_
basis), X0 is the initial moisture content (kg kg 1, dry-basis) of
cucumbers, MLtotal is the total moisture loss (%), and X1 is the
moisture content at the last measurement. The dry-basis
moisture content was measured using the same method for
measuring the thermal-physical properties.
Numerous studies have considered the transpiration rate
factor f as a constant (Özbek and Dadali, 2007; Castro et al.,
2018). However, the transpiration rate varies depending on the
magnitude of the VPD. The transpiration rate factor was
defined as a simple linear regression equation of the VPD. To
develop the equation, the VPDs at four different conditions and
the calculated f values that showed the lowest root-mean-
square error (RMSE) were used. Regression analysis was
performed with the assistance of the free statistical software R
(version 3.2.2), developed by the R Foundation.
Simulation implementation The simultaneous heat and
S.-H. Kim et al.
RH (%)
1 20 . 0 80
2 20 . 0 40
3 10 . 0 80
4 10 . 0 40
5 27 . 5 70
6 9.5 70
7 20 . 0 70
8 7.0 70
mass transfer model was solved using the finite element
method in COMSOL Multiphysics (Version 5.3a, COMSOL
Inc., Stockholm, Sweden). The 3D cucumber geometry model
was imported into COMSOL, and the parameters for material
properties and initial condition and the variables for boundary
conditions were defined. To solve the coupled heat and mass
transfer, the heat transfer in the solids module and the transport
of diluted species module in COMSOL were adopted, and the
simulation estimated the moisture transport process for 192 h
and the heat transfer process for 100 min, starting from the
specified initial conditions. Predefined normal meshing size
(maximum element size: 0.0205; minimum element size:
0.0037; maximum element growth rate: 1.5; curvature factor:
0.6; and resolution of narrow regions: 0.5) was used for the
mesh process. A sequence of simulations was iterated until the
solution arrived at the result closest to the exact solution within
the inherent error tolerance.
Model validation To validate the proposed model, actual
temperature and moisture ratio data were obtained. The
temperature profile was acquired by using K-type
thermocouples with a diameter of 0.328 mm connected to a
datalogger (midi LOGGER GL820, Graphtec Co., Yokohama,
Japan). Figure 1 illustrates the configuration of the
thermocouples in the cucumber. The tips of a pair of
thermocouples were stuck directly underneath the skin and
others were inserted from the surface to points on the center
axis to detect the heat transfer. The fine cracks between the
skin and the inserted thermocouples were sealed with silicon
glue to reduce the acceleration of moisture loss. Finally, the six
fruits with the thermocouples attached were transferred quickly
into the two separated chambers (three fruits in each chamber),
and measurement was started immediately. The climatic
conditions for temperature validation were as No. 4 and 5 in
Table 1. Additional moisture ratio data irrelevant to the
transpiration rate factor were also obtained to evaluate the
model validity using forty cucumbers. The storage conditions
for moisture validation were as listed in Table 1 (no. 7 and 8).
Finally, the determination coefficient (R2) and the RMSE,
which are expressed as Eq. 22 and Eq. 23, were employed to
evaluate the goodness-of-fit and residual between the simulated
Simultaneous Heat and Mass Transfer Simulation of Cucumber Fruit
Fig. 1. The arrangement of thermocouples and the data acquisition
points.
predictions and the experimental data:
Σ i=1
＿＿＿
n
(yexp,i ‒ ypre,i) 2
R2 = 1‒ 2  ······Eq. 22
Σ i=1(yexp,i ‒ ȳexp)
n
√Σ
n
RMSE = (ypre,i ‒ yexp,i)2  ······Eq. 23
n
i=1
where n is the number of data points, y exp,i is the
experimental data, ypre,i is the predicted data, and ȳexp is the
average of the entire experimental data. An R2 value closer to 1
and a lower RMSE value represent the higher accuracy
Cucumber storage duration chart For fresh commodities,
it is generally known that the maximum level in moisture loss
is considered to be 5 % of its initial weight (Kang and Lee,
1998). In other words, cucumber loses its marketability and
become unsalable if the fruit loses more than 5 % of its
moisture content after harvesting. Visualization facilitates the
concise delivery of complicated numerical information derived
from a mathematical model, transforming the numbers into
imagery. In this study, a visualized chart was designed with
several contour lines to indicate the maximum storage duration
at a specific temperature and relative humidity, based on the
3D cucumber model that represents the average of the fruit
samples. The values of the maximum storage duration at
various environmental conditions were calculated from the
simulation, inputting climatic factors (temp.: 5, 10, 15, 20, and
25 ℃; RH: 20, 40, 60, 80, and 90 %) into the model. The
duration at each condition was then vectorized with its climatic
factors. Finally, the vectorized data were connected with
contour lines by interpolation. The visualization process was
implemented using MATLAB software (Ver. R2017a,
MathWorks Inc., Massachusetts, USA). Note that the chart
may be less appropriate for cucumber fruit that have different
physical properties than those presented in this study.
463
Fig. 2. Three-dimensional cucumber geometry.
Results and Discussion
Cucumber geometry and properties The 3D cucumber
geometry was created using a series of X-ray CT images of real
cucumber. Figure 2 shows the shape of the assembled 3D
cucumber geometry. To ensure that the geometry represents the
real cucumber, the volume and surface area of the geometry
were adjusted for the actual shape. Table 2 summarizes the size
of the geometry and other physical properties of cucumber
fruit. The average density was similar to that obtained by
Tanaka et al. (2018). The wet- and dry-basis moisture contents
in the initial state were nearly equal to those investigated by
Mousavizadeh et al. (2010). The initial specific heat and
thermal conductivity were compatible with the data presented
by ASHRAE (2006).
Heat and mass transfer simulation In order to compute the
coefficients for heat and mass transfer, the airflow rate inside the
cucumber container in the chamber was measured by means of
an anemometer (Testo 425, Testo SE & Co., Germany), and the
_
velocity was approximately 0.5 m s 1. The characteristic length
was considered to be 0.027 m, corresponding to the average
diameter at the middle of the length. The convective heat transfer
_ _
coefficient (Eq. 16) was then calculated to be 16.63 W m 2 K 1.
With respect to transpiration, the mass transfer coefficient in this
study includes the skin resistance and the boundary resistance.
The boundary mass transfer coefficient (Eq. 18) was calculated
_ _
to be 1.477×10 2 m s 1. To determine the skin mass transfer
coefficient, the thickness of cucumber skin was measured using
a micrometer (Series 102-707, Mitutoyo Co., Japan) after peeling
off from the fruit with a sharp scalpel, and the value was
_
approximately 1.0×10 4 m. According to Smith et al. (1979), the
fraction of the pore area on the surface was assumed to be 0.007
including the area of the cut stem-end, by counting the number
of pores and its area. The skin mass transfer coefficient (Eq. 19)
_ _
was 4.020×10 4 m s 1, and finally the total mass transfer
_ _
coefficient was estimated to be 3.922×10 4 m s 1. The coefficients
for heat and mass transfer were similar to those investigated by
464 S.-H. Kim et al.

Table 2 . Thermal-physical properties of the cucumber geometry in initial state

Property Symbol Value Unit

_4 3
Volume V 1 . 005×10 m
_
Surface area A 1 . 635×10 2 m2
_
Density ρ 993 . 0 kg m 3
Moisture content
_
- Wet-basis Xwb 0 . 963 kg kg 1
_
- Dry-basis Xdb 25 . 9 kg kg 1
_1 _
Specific heat cp 4,078 J kg K 1
_1 _
Thermal conductivity k 0 . 623 Wm K1
Fresh weight 104 . 5

Table 3 . Coefficients and constants employed for the simulation

Coefficients and constants Symbol value Unit Source

w
Water activity a 0 . 995 decimal (Barbosa-Cánovas et al . , 2008)
_
Initial moisture concentration C0 956 . 3 kg m 3 Measured
_ _
Diffusivity of water vapor in air Da 2 . 300×10 5 m2 s 1 (Cengel 2014)
_ _
Boundary mass transfer coefficient hb 1 . 477×10 2 ms1 Measured
_ _
Skin mass transfer coefficient hs 4 . 020×10 4 ms1 Measured
_ _
Total mass transfer coefficient hm 3 . 922×10 4 ms1 Measured
_ _ _
Heat conductivity of air ka 2 . 476×10 2 Wm1K1 (Cengel 2014)
_1
Molecular weight of water Mw 0 . 018 kg mol (Cengel 2014)
_ _
Universal gas constant Ru 8 . 314 J mol 1 K 1 (NOAA 1976)
_2 _1
Heat transfer coefficient h 16 . 63 Wm K Measured
Characteristic length L 0 . 027 m Measured
Nusselt’s number Nu 18 . 14 - Measured
Prandtl’s number Pr 0 . 732 - (Cengel 2014)
Reynolds’s number Re 918 . 0 - Measured
Schmidt’s number Sc 0 . 639 - Measured
Sherwood’s number Sh 17 . 33 - Measured
_
Latent heat of water λ 2,256×103 J kg 1 (Cengel 2014)
_ 2 _1
Kinematic viscosity of air v 1 . 470×10 5 m s (Cengel 2014)
_4
Skin thickness τ 4 . 0×10 m Measured
_
Velocity of air flow u 0.5 ms1 Measured
Fraction of pore area φ 0 . 007 decimal (Smith et al . , 1979)

Xanthopoulos et al. (2012). The constants and coefficients used

for the simulation are summarized in Table 3.
The transpiration rate factor was determined to fit the
simulated moisture ratio curves to the experimental data. In this
study, the transpiration rate factor was defined as a function of
the VPD between the cucumber’s skin and the surrounding air.
The symbols in Figure 3 demonstrate the observed moisture
ratio and the lines indicate the simulated curves that result in
the lowest RMSE. Table 4 lists the VPD values in the four
conditions and the corresponding transpiration rate constants as
well as MLtotal at each condition; the regression equation is also
shown. The R2 value was estimated as 0.976, which indicates a
high accuracy and high goodness-of-fit. Figure 4 illustrates the
statistical relationship graphically between the VPDs and the Fig. 3. Comparison of observed and simulated moisture ratio for
transpiration rate factors. The validity of the model for determining the transpiration rate factor.
Simultaneous Heat and Mass Transfer Simulation of Cucumber Fruit 465

Table 4 . Total moisture loss and regression analysis between the VPD and its transpiration rate factor

Conditions Total moisture loss (%) VPD (Pa) Factor (1/s) RMSE (%)
_5
20℃‒80 %RH 0 . 137 ± 0 . 028 455 . 98 0 . 100×10 0 . 3773
_
20℃‒40 %RH 0 . 227 ± 0 . 050 1391 . 3 0 . 260×10 5 0 . 3016
_
10℃‒80 %RH 0 . 085 ± 0 . 016 239 . 43 0 . 090×10 5 0 . 1979
_
10℃‒40 %RH 0 . 212 ± 0 . 039 730 . 58 0 . 170×10 5 0 . 2602
_ _
Regression equation Y = (1 . 551×10 9) X + (1 . 720×10 10)
R2 0 . 976***
(X: VPD; Y: transpiration rate factor)

Fig. 4. Simple linear regression analysis between the VPD and

transpiration rate constant.

temperature and moisture ratio was further evaluated using Fig. 5. Comparison of observed and simulated temperature during
additional experimental data that were not used in this section. storage at 27.5 ℃‒70 %RH.
Validation of the temperature profile Using K-type
thermocouples connected to a data-logger, the temperature Table 5 . Statistical validation of the temperature simulation
profile inside cucumber fruit was recorded for only 100
27 . 5℃‒70 %RH 9 . 5℃‒70 %RH
minutes at 30-second intervals because it was observed that the Validity
temperature became constant after 100 min in the pre- Center Surface Center Surface
experiment. The initial temperature of cucumber fruit for 2
R 0 . 955 0 . 920 0 . 994 0 . 993
simulation was measured to be approximately 23 ℃ in 27.5 ℃
RMSE(℃) 0 . 239 0 . 293 0 . 273 0 . 275
‒70 %RH storage and 22 ℃ in 9.5 ℃‒70 %RH storage. Figure
5 shows the observed and predicted temperature profiles
obtained from the center and surface in 27.5 ℃ storage. The in Table 5, the R2 and RMSE at the center were estimated to be
temperature at both the center and surface reached around 0.955 and 0.239 ℃, whereas they were 0.920 and 0.293 ℃ at
27 ℃ in 100 min. It is known that the surface temperature of the surface. Figure 6 displays the visualized temperature
commodities is influenced by the evaporative heat removal profiles in the vertically half-cut cross-section of the cucumber
caused by transpiration (Gottschalk et al., 2007). In this result, from the simulation in 27.5 ℃ storage. In addition, Figure 7
significant heat removal was not obviously observed but there depicts the temperature profiles in 9.5 ℃ storage. As mentioned
was only a 0.5 ℃ difference at 100 min. A similar phenomenon above, the rate of temperature decrease on the surface was
was observed by Defraeye and Radu (2017). In the early part higher than that at the center. However, unlike the storage at
of the storage, the rate of temperature increase on the surface 27.5 ℃, the realized temperature was about 9.7 ℃. As
was higher than that at the center and the variation became investigated by Defraeye and Radu (2017), the lower
smaller in the end. Similar behavior was also observed in temperature caused a decrease in the moisture loss rate,
simulation. The reason why the rate of temperature increase in resulting in less effective evaporative heat removal. The R2 and
the experiment was greater than that predicted in the simulation RMSE at the center were estimated to be 0.994 and 0.273 ℃,
seemed due to the gap between the assumptions and actual whereas they were 0.993 and 0.275 ℃ at the surface (Table 5).
conditions, such as airflow rate and/or object shape. As listed Figure 8 illustrates the visualized temperature profiles in the
466
Fig. 6. Visualized temperature profile in longitudinal section in
27.5 ℃‒70 %RH storage: (a) after 10 min; (b) after 20 min; (c)
after 50 min; and (d) after 100 min.
Fig. 7. Comparison of observed and simulated temperature during
storage at 9.5 ℃‒70 %RH.
vertically half-cut cross-section of the cucumber at various
times in 9.5 ℃ storage.
Validation of moisture ratio To prove the validity of the
estimated moisture ratio from the simulation, actual moisture
ratio data were obtained at 20 ℃‒70 %RH and 7 ℃‒70 %RH for
8 d. The observed MLtotal on average was 17.2 % at 20 ℃ and
11.3 % at 7 ℃. The initial temperature in this simulation was
considered to be 15 ℃ for both cases. Figure 9 shows the
observed moisture ratio and the simulated moisture ratio in each
condition. The simulated MLtotal was 17.5 % in 20 ℃ storage and
10.9 % in 7 ℃ storage, respectively. The validity was evaluated
by R 2 and RMSE of 0.996 and 0.325 % at 20 ℃‒70 %RH,
whereas they were 0.986 and 0.418 % at 7 ℃‒70 %RH,
respectively (Table 6).
Figures 10 and 11 display the visualization of the simulated
moisture concentration profile in the vertically half-cut cross-
section of the cucumber at 20 ℃ and 7 ℃, respectively. Despite
the high validity, the actual moisture loss phenomenon in
S.-H. Kim et al.
Fig. 8. Visualized temperature profile in longitudinal section in
9.5 ℃‒70 %RH storage: (a) after 10 min; (b) after 20 min; (c) after
50 min; and (d) after 100 min.
Fig. 9. Comparison of simulated and observed moisture ratio used
for model validation.
Table 6 . Statistical validation of the moisture loss simulation
Validity 20℃‒70 %RH 7℃‒70 %RH
R2
0 . 996 0 . 986
RMSE (%) 0 . 325 0 . 418
cucumber was considerably different from the simulation.
Tanaka et al. (2018) observed the actual moisture loss behavior
by capturing X-ray CT images of cucumber during storage.
The images showed that the mesocarp and endocarp have
different thermal-physical properties, and the moisture loss
near the stem-end was higher than that around the blossom-
end. This behavior was already reported by Ree et al. (2012).
Thus, it is expected that the model may be representative if
these behaviors are included in the model.
Visualization of cucumber storage duration Figure 12
depicts a visualized contour chart that provides the maximum
storage duration of cucumber, in which the interpolated contour
lines indicate the time that cucumbers reach a 5 % loss of
Simultaneous Heat and Mass Transfer Simulation of Cucumber Fruit
Fig. 10. Visualized moisture ratio profile in longitudinal section in
the 20 ℃‒70 %RH storage: (a) after 24 h; (b) after 48 h; (c) after
96 h; and (d) 192 h.
Fig. 11. Visualized moisture ratio profile in longitudinal section
in the 7 ℃‒70 %RH storage: (a) after 24 h; (b) after 48 h; (c) after
96 h; and (d) 192 h.
moisture content during storage. The chart shows that higher
humidity and lower temperature can significantly preserve
moisture during storage, otherwise moisture is lost very
quickly. In addition, the moisture loss of cucumber in drought
conditions becomes less sensitive to temperature compared to
in humid conditions. Notably, it is not recommended that
cucumbers be stored at temperatures below 5 ℃. This is
because cucumbers kept in refrigerated conditions can be
damaged by chilling injury or other physiological disorders
(Tatsumi and Murata, 1978). The duration chart may be
utilized as a useful guideline to manage the storage facilities.
Conclusion
This study was carried out to develop a simultaneous heat
and mass transfer model to predict the transpiration or moisture
loss from cucumber fruit. The mathematical model was
formulated based on two major transfer mechanisms: heat
467
Fig. 12. The maximum storage duration chart for cucumber fruit.
transfer based on Fourier’s law and mass transfer based on
Fick’s law. The 3D geometry was created from X-ray CT
images of a real cucumber and the moisture loss rate factor was
determined as a function of the VPD. Finally, the simulation
was performed using COMSOL software and showed high
accuracy in both temperature profile and moisture ratio. The
result proves that the presented model is appropriate for
optimizing cucumber storage conditions and determining the
maximum storage duration under various circumstances.
However, the model did not consider extrinsic factors that
affect the transpiration rate, such as the effect of ethylene gas
and mechanical shock or vibration during transportation. This
study may be helpful in designing optimal storage conditions
and transportation plans to minimize moisture loss from fresh
cucumber fruit during postharvest processing and increasing
economic profits in the operation of storage facilities for fresh
agricultural commodities.
Acknowledgements This work was supported by Cabinet
Office, Government of Japan, Cross-ministerial Strategic
Innovation Promotion Program (SIP).
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