Abstract
Water vapor adsorption kinetics of vacuum-dried jujube powder were investigated in temperature and relative humidity ranges of 10 to $40^{\circ}C$ and 32 to 75%, respectively. Water vapor was initially adsorbed rapidly and then reached equilibrium condition slowly. Reaction rate constant for water vapor adsorption of vacuum-dried jujube powder increased with an increase in temperature. The temperature dependency of water activity followed the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. The net isosteric heat of sorption increased with an increase in water activity. Good straight lines were obtained with plotting of $1/(m-m_0)$ vs. 1/t. It was found that water vapor adsorption kinetics of vacuum-dried jujube powder was accurately described by a simple empirical model, and temperature dependency of the reaction rate constant followed the Arrhenius-type equation. The activation energy ranged from 50.90 to 56.00 kJ/mol depending on relative humidity. Arrhenius kinetic parameters ($E_a$ and $k_0$) for water vapor adsorption by vacuum-dried jujube powder showed an effect between the parameters with the isokinetic temperature of 302.51 K. The information on water vapor adsorption kinetics of vacuum-dried jujube powder can be used to establish the optimum condition for storage and processing of jujube.
