JFS: Food Engineering and Physical Properties

Dielectric Properties of Vegetables

and Fruits as a Function of Temperature,
Ash, and Moisture Content
O. SIPAHIOGLU AND S.A. BARRINGER

ABSTRACT: The dielectric properties of 15 vegetables and fruits were measured at 2450MHz from 5 to 130 8C. Equa-
tions were developed as a function of temperature, ash, and either moisture content or water activity, and compared to
literature equations. Dielectric constant of vegetables and fruits decreased with temperature and ash content. How-
ever, ash was not a factor in the equations produced separately for fruits. Dielectric loss factor changed quadrically
with increasing temperature: first decreasing and then increasing. This transition temperature decreased with ash
content. Ash increased the dielectric loss factor. Garlic and potato gave unusual results, which could be explained by
the behavior of solutions of inulin and potato starch, respectively.
Keywords: vegetables, fruits, dielectric properties, dielectric constant, loss factor

Introduction the exact samples used. Because of this, they were limited to a max-
Food Engineering and Physical Properties

T HE HEATING EFFICIENCY IN A MICROWAVE OVEN IS DETERMINED BY

dielectric properties in addition to thermal properties of foods.
The dielectric properties, or complex relative permittivity, are com-
posed of 2 parts: ␬⬘, the dielectric constant, and ␬⬙, the dielectric loss
factor. The stored electromagnetic energy in a food item is affected
by the dielectric constant and dissipation of this energy into heat
is a function of the dielectric loss factor (Mudgett 1995). These 2
parameters are important in determining power absorption and
penetration depth during microwave heating.
The dielectric properties of vegetables and fruit available in the
literature include: corn (Nelson 1978), grape juice (Garcia and others
2001), banana, orange, peach, tangelo (Seaman and Seals 1991), and
pea puree (Tong and others 1994). Nelson and others (1994) mea-
sured dielectric properties of 23 kinds of fresh fruits between
200MHz and 20GHz at 23 °C. The Debye equation and its deriva-
tives were used to analyze dielectric properties of fruits and vege-
tables over a range of frequencies at room temperature (Kuang and
Nelson 1997). However, during the microwave heating process, the
temperature of the product changes. Thus, the temperature depen-
dence of fruits and vegetables must also be measured.
There are several studies that create regression equations of the
dielectric properties for only 1 food item as a function of either com-
position or temperature. Equations have been developed for the
dielectric properties of grapes over a range of temperature and mois-
ture levels (Tulasidas and others 1995). The dielectric properties of
maple sap and syrup have been shown to follow the equations devel-
oped by Tulasidas and others (1995) (Favreau and others 1997). Pre-
dictive equations for fresh and dried apples, mushrooms, strawber-
ries, parsley, and chervil have been developed as a function of
temperature (20 to 60 °C in 20-degree intervals), moisture, and den-
sity, but not of ash content (Funebo and Ohlsson 1999).
Two studies predict the temperature dependent dielectric prop-
erties for a wide range of food items. Calay and others (1995) devel-
oped equations predicting dielectric properties of fruits and vege-
tables as a function of moisture and temperature. They used the
dielectric properties of foods from literature and published values
for the composition of the samples instead of measuring them for
imum of 70 °C for most equations. Sun and others (1995) also cre-
ated predictive equations for the dielectric constant of all foods
using the literature data available. They did not separate out fruits
and vegetables. For meats, it has been shown that subgrouping
produces better results (Sun and others 1995). Thus, there is still a
lack of dielectric property data for fruits and vegetables at pasteur-
ization to sterilization temperatures.
Some vegetables and fruits are microwave processed. Predictive
equations for their dielectric properties at sterilization temperatures
are necessary for microwave processing. The objective of this study
was to generate predictive equations for the dielectric properties of
vegetables and fruits at 5 to 130 °C as a function of temperature, ash
content, and either moisture content or water activity.
Materials and Methods
F RESH VEGETABLES AND FRUITS WERE PURCHASED FROM A LOCAL
grocery store in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. Vegetables included
carrot, parsley, spinach, radish, turnip, yam, potato, garlic, parsnip,
and broccoli. Fruits included cucumber, apple, pear, banana, and
corn. The samples covered a moisture range of 57.30 to 95.89% and
an ash range of 0.26 to 1.56% (Table 1).
The dielectric constant and loss factor were measured using an
open ended coaxial probe and a network analyzer (85070B and
8752C, Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, Calif., U.S.A.) interfaced with a
computer. The probe lies facing upwards inside a cylindrical jack-
eted stainless steel sample holder (2.5 cm inner dia, 3 cm height),
which is connected to an oil bath (RTE 140, Neslab Co., Newington,
N.H., U.S.A.) that adjusts the temperature of the sample (Figure 1).
The sample holder was placed between 2 steel plates and sealed
using bolts. O-rings were placed between the sample holder and the
plates to prevent moisture loss. A temperature probe connected to
a temperature acquisition unit (HP 34970A, Hewlett-Packard, Palo
Alto, Calif., U.S.A.) was fit permanently into the upper plate and
reaches into the center of the sample. The samples were placed
underneath a weak spring that held the sample against the probe
if the samples shrunk, and prevented liquid accumulation. This
ensured that the sample, and not the expelled liquid, was being

234 JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE—Vol. 68, Nr. 1, 2003 © 2003 Institute of Food Technologists
Further reproduction prohibited without permission
Dielectric properties of vegetables and fruits. . .

measured. The sample holder was sealed to prevent any moisture Table 1—The moisture, water activity, and ash content (wet
loss as steam. A thin metal sheet was placed between the sample basis) of samples.
and the spring to prevent the spring digging into the sample. Sample % Moisture aw % Ash
The sample (a cylinder 2.5 cm × 2.5 cm) was initially refrigerated Vegetables
to 5 °C and the oil in the jacketed sample holder cooled the sample broccoli 92.37 0.999 0.93
holder and probe to 5 °C. The sample was placed in the sample carrot 89.97 0.996 0.78
holder after everything had reached 5 °C. The first measurement garlic 57.30 0.983 1.48
parsley 87.75 0.997 1.47
was made when the temperature reading was stable. The oil bath
parsnip 79.67 0.993 0.97
was then increased to 5 °C above the temperature of measurement. potato 75.19 0.990 0.85
When the sample reached the desired temperature, the dielectric radish 95.82 1.000 0.63
properties were measured and the oil temperature increased anoth- spinach 90.35 0.994 1.56
er 5 °C. Thus, the temperature difference in the sample is from the turnip 93.84 0.998 0.53
yam 81.50 0.993 0.93
stated temperature to 5 °C warmer. It took 5 to 6 min for the oil bath Fruits
to raise the temperature of the sample holder 5 °C. The entire run apple 84.89 0.990 0.26
took 2.5 to 3 h. A temperature range of 5 to 135 °C was measured in banana 76.67 0.985 0.72
5 °C intervals at 2450MHz. All measurements were performed in corn 78.86 0.995 0.61
triplicate, with fresh samples. cucumber 95.89 1.000 0.39
pear 83.78 0.992 0.28
A sample was bored from most of the vegetables and fruits. The
exceptions were leafy vegetables and corn, which were chopped using
a blender, and garlic, which was mashed. The probe and sample
holder was stabilized so that the probe could not be moved any time method to employ when the data are expected to exhibit significant
during calibration or measurement. The sample holder (Figure 1) was random errors (Calay and others 1995). The equations and all pre-
removed from the probe for calibration with the short, then replaced dictors included in the equations had a significance of p < 0.001.
for the rest of the calibration and sample measurements. Calibration Quality of fit was assessed from adjusted coefficient of determina-
was performed using a short, air, and water before every test. The tion (R2adj) of the equation. The data were analyzed using JMPin

Food Engineering and Physical Properties

probe was calibrated at room temperature. The dielectric constant
and loss factor were calculated from the phase shift and the magni-
tude of the reflected signal by the software provided with the probe.
Ash content of the samples was determined by dry ashing at
500 °C in a muffle oven (Thermolyne, Dubuque, Iowa, U.S.A.) over-
night according to AOAC (1995), Part 940.26. The moisture content
of the samples was determined by drying in a vacuum oven (Na-
tional Appliance Co., Skokie, Ill., U.S.A.) according to AOAC (1995),
Part 934.06, using 6 h at 75 °C and 65 mmHg. Water activity was de-
termined using a water activity analyzer (CX-2, Decagon Devices
Inc., Pullman, Wash., U.S.A.). The moisture, ash, and water activi-
ty of the samples is presented in Table 1.
The response variables, dielectric constant and loss factor, were
fit by using multiple regression from combinations of temperature,
wet basis ash, and either moisture content or water activity. The
fitting principle was least squares, which is the most appropriate
software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, N.C., U.S.A.).
In addition, temperature dependence of each vegetable and fruit
was accessed separately to develop an equation for each. The equa-
tions were derived for each sample using the same significance
criteria as for the general equations.
Dielectric properties of potato starch suspensions with and with-
out salt were measured and compared to the dielectric properties
of potatoes. Twenty % (w/w) potato starch (Avebe Inc., Princeton,
N.J., U.S.A.), with and without salt (Morton International, Chicago,
Ill., U.S.A.), was added to water and mixed continuously for 10 min
at 25 °C. Dielectric properties of 20 and 41% (w/w) inulin (Imperi-
al Sensus, Sugarland, Tex., U.S.A.) solutions were measured to be
compared to garlic. Inulin was dissolved in 25 °C water for 10 min,
with continuous mixing, allowed to hydrate for 24 h, then measured.
Results and Discussion

Dielectric Constant
The dielectric constant of vegetables and fruits decreased as
temperature increased (Figure 2). Most of the water in vegetables

Figure 1—Sectional view of stainless steel sample holder for

open-ended coaxial probe dielectric properties measure- Figure 2—The effect of ash concentration and moisture on
ments dielectric constant of vegetables and fruits at 2450MHz

Vol. 68, Nr. 1, 2003—JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE 235

 Dielectric properties of vegetables and fruits. . .

Table 2—Predictive equations for the dielectric constant and the loss factor of the samples at 2450MHz.
Dielectric constant
Overall ␬⬘ = 38.57 + 0.1255·T + 0.4546·M – 14.54 · A – 0.0037 · M · T+0.07327 · A · T
Vegetables ␬⬘ = –243.6 +1.342·T + 4.593·M – 426.9 · A + 376.5 ·A2 – 0.01415 · M · T – 0.3151 · A · T
Fruits ␬⬘ = 22.12 + 0.2379·T + 0.5532·M – 0.0005134 · T2 – 0.003866 · M · T
Dielectric loss factor
Overall ␬⬙ = 17.72 – 0.4519 · T + 0.001382 · T2 – 0.07448 · M + 22.93 · A – 13.44·A2 + 0.002206 · M · T + 0.1505 ·A · T
Vegetables ␬⬙ = –100.02 – 0.1611 · T +0.001415 · T2 + 2.429 · M – 378.9 · A + 316.2 · A2
Fruits ␬⬙ = 33.41 – 0.4415 · T + 0.001400 · T2 – 0.1746 · M + 1.438 · A + 0.001578 · M · T + 0.2289 · A · T
T = temperature (°C), M = moisture (%), A = wet basis ash (%)

and fruits exists as free water, and the dielectric constant of free
water decreases with temperature (Mudgett 1995); thus, this was
anticipated.
The higher the moisture content, the higher the dielectric con-
stant. This was expected, since water is a strong polar solvent in
most foods and reorients in response to changes in field polarity;
therefore, it is the major component of the food that contributes to
the dielectric constant (Ryynanen 1995). Using water activity as the
independent variable instead of moisture content did not change
R2adj of the equations considerably: a change occurred only in the
third decimal place. Therefore, only equations using moisture con-
tent are presented.
Food Engineering and Physical Properties
Corn and cucumber were grouped together with fruits rather
than with vegetables. This was done because, physiologically, they
are fruits. However, from the R2adj it was not clear if they fit better
with the fruits or with the vegetables.
The average percent error of prediction was 6.20% for dielectric
constant. The best fit was for cucumber (0.94%). The largest outlier
was spinach (12.17%). Potato showed a very different trend from the
rest of the samples with a sudden increase from 65 to 70 °C. This
corresponds to the gelatinization point of potato starch, which is 62
to 68 °C (Whistler and Daniel 1985). A suspension of 20% potato
starch with and without salt was measured to see if the dielectric
constant increases as gelatinization takes place (Figure 3). A sim-

Ash was negatively related to dielectric constant (Eq. 1, Table 2).
In general, the higher the ash content, the lower the dielectric con-
stant (Figure 2). Ash is mostly composed of salts that bind water
molecules and decrease their ability to reorient themselves in re-
sponse to the changing electromagnetic field direction. This low-
ers the dielectric constant (Hasted and others 1948).
Similar trends were observed when vegetables and fruits were
evaluated as 2 separate groups: the dielectric constant increased
with increasing moisture. The dielectric constant of vegetables
decreased with ash content (Eq. 2, Table 2). However, ash was not
found to be significant in affecting the dielectric constant of fruits
(Eq. 3, Table 2). This may be because of the low levels of ash present
in the fruits (0.26 to 0.71%) as compared to the vegetables (0.53 to
1.56%). Separating the fruits and vegetables increased the R2adj of
the equations, which may be due to differences in the physiolog-
ical structure between fruit and vegetables (Eq. 2 and 3, Table 2).
ilar increase was observed for potato starch as for whole potato.
When salt was added, the gelatinization temperature slightly in-
creased. Roebuck and others (1972) observed that gelatinized starch
has a higher dielectric constant than a starch suspension with the
same water content. They explained this through hydrogen bond
stabilization that facilitates polarization of water molecules by the
electromagnetic field.
Another unusual sample was the garlic. Dielectric constant of
garlic increased up to 55 °C as opposed to the other samples that,
in general, decreased as temperature increased. Garlic contains
approximately 30% oligofructosaccharides, mainly in the form of
inulin (Van Loo and others 1995). These oligosaccharides bind
water. The dielectric constant of bound water increases as temper-
ature increases (Calay and others 1995). Gels of 20 and 41% inulin
gels were measured to see if they cause similar trends (Figure 4). The
41% inulin sample matched garlic very closely and showed the same
increasing then decreasing trend with temperature. Funebo and
Ohlsson (1999) suspected that pectin, which is another high molec-
ular weight hydrophilic compound, may bind water, causing predic-

Figure 3—Temperature dependence of dielectric constant and Figure 4—Temperature dependence of dielectric constant and
dielectric loss factor of potato and potato starch suspensions dielectric loss factor of different concentrations of inulin in
at 2450MHz comparison to garlic at 2450MHz

236 JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE—Vol. 68, Nr. 1, 2003

Dielectric properties of vegetables and fruits. . .

Table 3—Predictive equations for the dielectric constant and the loss factor of individual vegetables and fruits as a function
of Temperature at 2450MHz
Dielectric constant Dielectric loss factor Transition
a b c a b c temperature
a+bT+cT2 a+bT+cT2 R2adj (°C)
Vegetables
broccoli 74.18 –0.1208 –0.0005129 0.989 20.89 –0.02420 0.001174 0.915 10.3
carrot 77.94 –0.2068 0 0.906 21.68 –0.1040 0.0016 0.927 32.5
garlic 43.47 0.1743 –0.001143 0.848 19.62 –0.09577 0.001250 0.957 38.3
parsley 56.42 –0.08378 0 0.646 16.45 –0.04048 0.001434 0.938 14.1
parsnip 65.31 –0.1323 0 0.928 22.40 –0.1385 0.001332 0.893 52.0
potato – – – – 17.79 –0.1357 0.001370 0.893 49.5
radish 77.31 –0.2166 0 0.909 20.36 –0.1825 0.001517 0.846 60.1
spinach – – – – 14.17 –0.02897 0.001176 0.989 12.3
turnip 66.93 –0.1528 0 0.727 17.99 –0.1965 0.001471 0.907 66.8
yam – – – – 17.59 –0.1192 0.001371 0.899 43.5
Fruits
apple 64.63 –0.05240 –0.0005831 0.960 17.23 –0.2407 0.001348 0.974 89.3
banana 68.73 –0.08229 –0.0005706 0.994 21.28 –0.1536 0.001450 0.895 53.0
corn 60.86 –0.03792 –0.0005502 0.950 19.02 –0.1355 0.001004 0.883 67.5
cucumber 77.82 –0.2136 0 0.992 18.41 –0.2474 0.001746 0.916 70.9
pear 71.06 –0.05229 –0.0008304 0.896 20.95 –0.2498 0.001453 0.854 86.0

tive equations to produce unexpectedly low numbers based on the others (1995) were higher than the predicted values, and the pre-
water content of the sample. diction became worse as the temperature increased (Figure 5). Pre-
Our data were fit into literature equations to see how closely they dictions by Funebo and Ohlsson (1999) were higher than the mea-

Food Engineering and Physical Properties

predicted dielectric properties of vegetables and fruits. In general,
Calay and others (1995) predicted the dielectric constant of vege-
tables and fruits higher than measured. The fit became worse as the
temperature increased. This may be because the data that they used
to produce their equations were not collected at high temperatures.
Average error of prediction was 15.65%. The predictions by Sun and
others (1995) were lower than measured. The worst fit was for low
moisture samples from 5 to 60°C. As the temperature increased, the
fit improved. The average error was 13.20%.
As an example, the predictions for cucumber are presented (Fig-
ure 5). Equations derived by Funebo and Ohlsson (1999) included
density as a factor. Density of cucumber was measured according
to the method described by Mohsenin (1986) to compare our pre-
diction (Eq. 1) with their equation. The prediction by Calay and
sured values and showed little temperature dependence. The data
that they used to derive their equations were collected at 20, 40, and
60 °C. Measuring at only 3 temperatures may not be enough to de-
fine temperature dependence. The predictions by Sun and others
(1995) were lower than the measured values at temperatures below
80 °C, and higher for the temperatures above that.
Equations that predict dielectric constant of each vegetable and
fruit as a function of temperature were produced (Table 3). These
equations can be used to obtain the temperature dependent dielec-
tric properties of fruits and vegetables if the composition of those
samples are close to those in this study. These equations were more
accurate than the combined equation. Some of the vegetables (po-
tato, spinach, yam) could not be fit to an equation for the dielectric
constant with reasonable accuracy, therefore they were left unre-
ported.

Dielectric loss factor

For most of the samples, the effect of moisture on dielectric loss
factor was negative at temperatures lower than 34 °C (Eq. 4). Above
that temperature, dielectric loss factor of vegetables and fruits in-

Figure 5—Comparison of measured to predicted values of the

dielectric constant of cucumber using literature equations at Figure 6—The effect of moisture and ash concentration on
2450MHz dielectric loss factor of vegetables and fruits at 2450MHz

Vol. 68, Nr. 1, 2003—JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE 237

 Dielectric properties of vegetables and fruits. . .
creased with moisture (Figure 6). The moisture-dielectric loss factor
relationship reported in the literature is complex. Funebo and
Ohlsson (1999) indicated that dielectric loss factor peaked at a
moisture content between 44 and 67% at 2800 MHz. Nelson (1987)
found that dielectric loss factor of grains decreased linearly with
moisture content at 20, 300, and 2450 MHz. Dielectric loss factor of
maple syrup also decreases with increasing moisture content (35 to
98%) at 2450 MHz (Favreau and other 1997). For low moisture con-
tent foods, dielectric loss factor usually increases with increasing
moisture content until 20 to 30%, levels off, and may decrease for
higher moisture contents in the dielectric and the microwave region
(Schiffman 1995). At high moisture levels, it was reported that di-
electric loss factor increased with increasing moisture content at
3000 MHz (Bengtsson and Risman 1971). This occurs because the
effect of moisture content on the dielectric loss factor is both fre-
quency and temperature dependent.
The dielectric loss factor decreases then increases with increasing
frequency (Mudgett 1995). The dielectric loss factor is the sum of 2
components: ionic, ␬⬙␴, and dipole, ␬⬙d loss. This minima occurs be-
cause of the opposite effects of ionic and dipole loss. The curves for
both losses shift to higher frequencies at higher temperatures thus
as temperature increases at 2450 MHz, the dipole loss decreases
and ionic loss increases. For apples, this minima shifted from 1000
MHz at 22 °C to 2000 MHz at 60 °C (Feng and others 2002). This
explains both the fact that the dielectric loss factor decreases then
Food Engineering and Physical Properties
increases with temperature, and the fact that the loss factor decreas-
es with increasing moisture below 34 °C but increases above it.
Dielectric loss factor of fruits and vegetables changed as a sec-
ond-degree function of temperature (Figure 6). They first decreased
with temperature then increased. Because of the difference in tem-
perature dependence of the dipole and ionic loss components, the
dielectric loss factor of an ionic solution generally decreases as the
temperature increases to an intermediate transition point and then
increases with temperature (Mudgett 1995). The transition temper-
atures, Tt, where the dielectric loss factor changes from decreasing
to increasing with temperature were calculated for our data. Tran-
sition temperatures decreased with ash concentration. There was
a negative linear relationship between transition temperatures and
ash (R2 = 0.9687) (Figure 7). Garlic, carrot, and broccoli were clearly
outliners and were deleted. Without their deletion, the R2 was
0.7292. Garlic had a higher transition temperature than predicted,
Figure 7—The effect of ash on transition temperatures at
2450MHz. The data from carrot, broccoli and garlic were
deleted to obtain the correlation.
238 JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE—Vol. 68, Nr. 1, 2003
therefore it acted as if it had less ash. There is no specific literature
available about inulin; however, methylcellulose, cellobiose, and
other sugars have been shown to bind salt (Braudo 1985). This hap-
pens due to “coordination centers” composed of hydroxyl groups
attracting cations. Southgate (1978) indicates that some dietary
fibers also bind ions. Broccoli and carrot had lower transition tem-
peratures than predicted, as if the samples had higher ash.
The dielectric loss factor increased with ash content as expect-
ed (Figure 6). Ash increases the dielectric loss factor by increasing
the ionic component of the dielectric loss factor. Equations that
predict dielectric loss factor of each vegetable and fruit as a func-
tion of temperature were produced with higher R2adj values (Table
3). Unlike for the dielectric constant, these were all quadratic equa-
tions.
The loss factor was predicted with an average error of 13.22%.
Literature also shows that it is more difficult to predict loss factor
than dielectric constant (Sun and others 1995, Calay and others
1995). Best predicted samples were parsnip (3.76%) and corn
(4.43%). The worst were yam (27.0%) and potatoes (24.47%), which
were both lower than would be predicted. Dielectric loss factor of
potatoes was similar to the loss factor of a 20% starch suspension
with 1% salt (Figure 3). Both yam and potato are high starch vege-
tables. The dielectric loss factor of starch-salt solutions is lower than
would be predicted based on salt content because of a starch-salt
interaction (Bircan and Barringer 1998). Therefore, the dielectric loss
factor of the high starch vegetables is lower than would be predicted
based on the ash content.
When the vegetables and fruits were separated into 2 separate
groups, the R2adj values improved (Eq. 5 and 6). The dielectric loss
factor decreased with temperature at temperatures lower than
56.9 °C for vegetables.
The data for dielectric loss factor were compared to equations in
the literature. Equation of Calay and others (1995) predicted our
data with an average error of 34.91%. Their predictions had high
errors at high temperatures and did not reflect the increasing loss
factor with temperature. The predictions were better at tempera-
tures below 55 °C. The equation did not contain a T2 term to reflect
the curved nature of the response of dielectric constant to temper-
ature. Sun and others (1995) could not produce an equation that
could reasonably predict dielectric loss factor of fruits and vegeta-
bles.
Figure 8—Comparison of measured to predicted values of
the dielectric loss factor of banana using literature equa-
tions at 2450MHz
Dielectric properties of vegetables and fruits. . .
All available equations were used to predict the dielectric loss
factor of banana as an example (Figure 8). Eq. 4 and Calay and oth-
ers (1995) produced predictions close to the measurements under
55 °C. However, above this temperature, Calay and others (1995)
predicted that the dielectric loss factor decreases with temperature,
where the measured values increase. This may be due to the data
used to produce their equation. Using only low temperature data,
the increase in the dielectric loss factor at higher temperatures can
not be seen. Funebo and Ohlsson (1999) predicted the dielectric loss
factor of banana almost constant with temperature. Their equations
did not contain a quadratic temperature term or consider ash as a
factor.
Conclusions
W HEN VEGETABLES AND FRUITS IN THEIR UNPROCESSED STATE
were grouped together, the dielectric constant decreased with
temperature and ash content but increased with moisture content.
Ash was not a significant factor when the fruits were put in separate
equations. The unusual samples were potato and garlic. A sudden
increase in the dielectric constant of potato was observed near the
gelatinization temperature of starch. The dielectric constant of garlic
increased then decreased, similar to the results for inulin. These 2
samples show that high molecular weight carbohydrates can have
a significant effect on effect of temperature on the dielectric con-
stant.
The dielectric loss factor changed as a 2nd degree function of
temperature: first decreasing and then increasing. Ash positively
affected the dielectric loss factor. The transition temperature de-
creased with ash content. The samples with the greatest error, po-
tato and yam, may be due to salt binding by the starch.
The dielectric constant, which gave a smaller average error, was
better predicted than the dielectric loss factor. Creating separate
equations for vegetables and fruits increased the R2Adj values for
both dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor. Literature equa-
tions generally had the greatest error above 60 °C.
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MS 20020252 Submitted 4/22/02, Revised 7/23/02, Accepted 8/9/02, Received
8/12/02
The authors are with the Dept. of Food Science and Technology, Ohio State
Univ., 2015 Fyffe Court, Columbus, OH 43120. Direct inquiries to author
Barringer (E-mail: barringer.ll@osu.edu).
Vol. 68, Nr. 1, 2003—JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE 239