Simultaneous Transfer of Na+, K+, and Fe2+ Ions During Salting of Precooked Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus): Mathematical Modeling, Optimization, and Experimental Validation

The champignon mushroom has no antinutritional factors that can affect iron bioavailability. It is considered a functional food and can provide health benefits by presenting bioactive components. The simultaneous transfer of Na+, K+ and Fe2+ in the pre-cooked mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) was modeled and simulated by the finite element method (FEM). The Biot number, cross and main diffusion coefficients were determined by the super modified simplex optimization method by minimizing the percentage errors. The errors between experimental and simulated data were 5.66% for NaCl, 5.36% for KCl and 8.26% for Fe2+ in the static brine and 3.11% for NaCl, 3.30% for KCl and 15.34% for Fe2+ in stirred brine. With the obtained model, it was possible to verify the influence of the film formed on the surface of the mushroom during the diffusion of ions, as well as the increase of ferrous ion adsorption when using the salting system with stirring.