The fractional amount of sodium chloride, potassium sorbate and sodium bisulphite were evaluated in
mango slices immersed in limited volumes of syrup at 25, 50 and 70 -
C. The syrup contained 250 g
sucrose, 1.5 g sodium chloride, 0.5 g potassium sorbate and 0.25 g sodium bisulphate per kilogram of
solution. The sodium chloride concentration in the syrup was confirmed with a flame photometer, and
the concentrations of potassium sorbate and sodium bisulphite were determined using high-performance
liquid chromatography (HPLC). Fick’s second law was used to calculate effective diffusion coefficients and
to predict solute content in the mango slices. Diffusion coefficients were affected by temperature and
were correlated by the Arrhenius equation. The experimental data fit the proposed mathematical model
well, allowing prediction of the system’s behavior at different temperatures. The resultant diffusivities
ranges were 2.63–3.54 -
109 m2
/s for sodium chloride, 3.88 -
109
–8.3 -
1010 m2
/s for potassium sor-
bate and 1.83 -
107
–5.98 -
10-8 m2
/s for sodium bisulphite.