Food Thermal Conductivity
Reference data and engineering information about food thermal conductivity for food and bio applications.
foodthermalconductivityData Table
Overview
Engineering reference data for Food Thermal Conductivity in food bio.
Key Formulas
pH
Measure of acidity in food.
Water Activity
Ratio of vapor pressure of food to pure water.
Thermal Death Time
Microbial reduction during heating.
Q10 Temperature Coefficient
Rate change per 10°C temperature increase.
Variables
| Symbol | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Acidity level | — | |
| Water activity | — | |
| Microbial count | CFU | |
| Decimal reduction time | min | |
| Temperature coefficient | — |
Food Thermal Conductivity Data
Conduction as heat transfer takes place when there is a temperature gradient in a solid or stationary fluid medium. The thermal conductivity of food products varies significantly based on water content, temperature, and structural properties such as fiber orientation in meats.
31 rows
Food | Water Content(%) | Temperature(°C) | Thermal Conductivity(W/(m·K)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple, whole | 85 | 2–35 | 0.39 |
| Apple, juice | 88 | 20 | 0.56 |
| Beef, freeze dried (1 bar) | 0 | 0.07 | |
| Beef, freeze dried (10⁻⁶ bar) | 0 | 0.04 | |
| Beef, lean (⊥ fibers) | 79 | 7 | 0.48 |
| Beef, lean (∥ fibers) | 79 | 7 | 0.43 |
| Butter | 15 | 45 | 0.2 |
| Cod | 83 | 3 | 0.54 |
| Egg, white | 35 | 0.58 | |
| Egg, yolk | 35 | 0.34 | |
| Fish, loin | 0–10 | 0.58 | |
| Grapefruit, whole | 30 | 0.45 | |
| Honey | 13 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Milk | 37 | 0.53 | |
| Milk, condensed | 24 | 0.57 | |
| Milk, skimmed | 2 | 0.54 | |
| Olive oil | 15 | 0.19 | |
| Pork (⊥ fibers) | 75 | 5 | 0.49 |
| Pork (∥ fibers) | 75 | 5 | 0.44 |
| Pork, fat | 25 | 0.15 | |
| Potato, raw flesh | 82 | 1–35 | 0.55 |
| Poultry, broiler muscle | 70 | 4–25 | 0.41 |
| Salmon | 75 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Salt | 90 | 0.25 | |
| Strawberry | 15–25 | 0.68 | |
| Sugars | 30–60 | 0.09 | |
| Turkey, breast (⊥ fibers) | 75 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Turkey, breast (∥ fibers) | 75 | 3 | 0.52 |
| Oil, vegetable/animal | 4–180 | 0.17 | |
| Wheat flour | 9 | 43 | 0.45 |
| Whey | 80 | 0.64 |
Source: Engineering ToolBox
Key Observations
- High water content foods (fruits, lean meats, fish) typically have thermal conductivities between 0.39–0.68 W/(m·K)
- Fat-rich and dried products (butter, oils, freeze-dried meats) have significantly lower values (0.04–0.20 W/(m·K))
- Anisotropy in meats: Thermal conductivity is higher perpendicular (∥) to muscle fibers than parallel (⊥) to them, reflecting the directional structure of muscle tissue
- Freeze-dried beef under high vacuum ( bar) has very low conductivity (0.04 W/(m·K)) due to minimal gas conduction within the porous structure