MEASUREMENT OF FOOD THERMAL-CONDUCTIVITY USING DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETRY

To measure thermal conductivity of foods, an attachment to a differential scanning calorimeter was constructed. A needle probe with a 40 gauge type-T thermocouple was used to measure the temperature of a cylindrical food sample. The DSC heating pan temperature was maintained at 40-degrees-C, and then raised to 50-degrees-C. The average thermal conductivities of rutabagas, radish, parsnip, turnip, potato, green apple, and carrot were 0.447, 0.499, 0.392, 0.480, 0.552, 0.405, and 0.564 W/m-degrees-C, respectively, for a temperature range between 40-50-degrees-C. The DSC method was reliable, precise, and a relatively rapid technique for determining thermal conductivity of foods.