Microwave absorption analysis on heated edible spirulina with various temperatures

Abstract

This paper discusses the microwave absorption analysis of edible Spirulina by using WR62 and WR90 rectangular waveguides in conjunction with Agilent P-series Vector Network Analyzer (PNA). Heat might lead to the degradation of spirulina. This phenomenon involves the chemical and physical reaction that is associated with the variation of dielectric properties. These properties determine the propagation mechanism of microwaves within the sample or material. Hence, an assessment method to detect a nutrient change in spirulina due to heat is necessary. In this context, a microwave absorption measurement system was developed to study the reflection coefficient, transmission coefficient, and absorption coefficient of Spirulina tablets over temperature. The transmission/Reflection line method is well-known because it is non-destructive and rapid in analyzing chemical and physical properties. In this work, Spirulina tablet is used since it is a popular food supplement that is believed to be able to treat diseases is and good for health. The reflection, transmission, and absorption measurements were conducted on Spirulina from 12.4GHz to 18GHz.