Construction of an Isoperibol Calorimeter to Measure the Specific Heat Capacity of Foods Between 20 and 90°C

A simple isoperibol calorimeter, using the modified method of mixtures, was developed to measure the average specific heat capacity of different dough types between 20 and 90°C. The method consisted of encapsulating the sample in a copper cylinder and immersing the capsule in water at a different temperature. The procedure was tested for reliability with distilled water and whole fat milk before applying it to five dough types of varying moisture and fat contents. Mean values of 4.176±0.008 kJ kg^-1 K^-1 and 3.942±0.034 kJ kg^-1 K^-1 were obtained for distilled water and milk respectively, which agree within 0.23 and 0.34% from reported values. The specific heat values for the five dough types were found to range between 2.15–2.68 kJ kg^-1 K^-1 between 2.35–3.10 kJ kg^-1 K^-1 and between 2.40–3.19 kJ kg^-1 K^-1 at the three temperature levels studied. The specific heat capacity was found to depend not only on the moisture level but also on the fat content, especially for dough types with a high percent of fat. Regression analysis was then used to correlate these values and develop a set of empirical equations. The results were used to assist in energy balance calculations in backing oven for industrial purposes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.