Abstract
Non-uniform temperature distribution within solid food is a major problem associated with microwave heating, which limits industrial applications. Therefore, an experimentally validated 3D model was proposed to study the effect of microwave applicator geometry on the electromagnetic field distribution and heating pattern of shrimp under different processing conditions. Simulation results were compared with physical experiments, in which a cooked peeled shrimp sample was heated using two different laboratory-scale microwave applicators (rectangular and cylindrical cavities). For the rectangular applicator, the temperature distribution within the shrimp, when examined in cross-section, was more homogeneous compared to that of the cylindrical applicator. The results showed the influence of the complex shape of the food on the temperature distribution during microwave heating, as well as of process parameters (input power and geometry cavity). Moreover, this modelling method could provide a better understanding of the microwave heating process and assist manufacturing companies to evaluate a suitable microwave applicator according to their specific purpose.
Highlights
IntroductionThe potential of novel food preservation technologies, such as electro-heating (ohmic, radiofrequency, and microwave), has been explored to provide a reliable and effective process for a sustainable global market [1]
The potential of novel food preservation technologies, such as electro-heating, has been explored to provide a reliable and effective process for a sustainable global market [1]
By combining the measured dimensions of the microwave device and further descriptions of geometry from Damilos et al [41], we modelled the microwave system in COMSOL
Summary
The potential of novel food preservation technologies, such as electro-heating (ohmic, radiofrequency, and microwave), has been explored to provide a reliable and effective process for a sustainable global market [1]. For a single-mode cavity operating conditions, the material load is placed at the location where maximum electromagnetic field intensity provides the best thermal processing performance, due to the focused microwave radiation and a more uniform and predictable field distribution [24,25]. For sphere- or cylindershaped foods (i.e., food with convex surfaces), refraction and reflection phenomena explain the centre overheating phenomenon, when the food is placed in a turntable microwave oven [37,38,39] Though these previous studies are useful to comprehend the microwave power absorption and temperature distribution inside food models, the simulations are limited to rectangular, cubic, or cylindrical foods that are different from real-life conditions. The first step is to understand the influence of different microwave cavities, namely, cylindrical and rectangular single-mode applicators, on temperature distribution of cooked peeled shrimp to improve microwave heating performance
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