Temperature and Moisture Dependent Dielectric Properties of Chinese Steamed Bread Using Mixture Equations Related to Microwave Heating

摘要

In-package pasteurization treatments based on radio frequency or microwave energy can greatly reduce the danger of microbial spoilage for Chinese steamed bread. The mixture equations methods were used to obtain dielectric properties at the frequency from 1 to 2450 MHz for the temperature range of 25–100oC and the moisture content range of 40.1–48.5%. The effects of frequency, moisture content, and temperature on Chinese steamed bread dielectric properties were analyzed. The Bottcher Equation was adapted for calculating dielectric constant, the Landau and Lifshitz, Looyenga Equation for dielectric loss factor. Both dielectric constants and dielectric loss factors increased with increasing moisture content and temperature. Radio frequency energies had several times deeper in Chinese steamed bread than microwave energies.