Thermal properties of lentil and chickpea in relation to radio frequency heat treatment

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ABSTRACT Thermal properties of lentil (Lens culinaris) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) were determined experimentally and with predictive mechanistic models as functions of temperature and moisture content (four levels). Thermal conductivity (k), specific heat (Cp ), and density (ρ) of the samples were evaluated using a line heat source probe, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and pycnometer, respectively. Except for Cp which was measured at a temperature range of 30 to 90°C, other properties were measured at room temperature. Specific heat of the samples increased linearly with moisture content (MC) and temperature, ranging from 0.824 to 2.433 kJ/kg K and 0.444 to 2.067 kJ/kg K for lentil and chickpea, respectively. Thermal conductivity increased with MC in all samples with its values ranging from 0.161 to 0.191 W/m K for lentil and 0.160 to 0.227 W/m K for chickpea. However, thermal conductivity values of flours were higher at lower MC levels when compared to seeds at higher MC levels. Thermal diffusivity, (0.159 × 10−6 to 0.221 × 10−6 m2/s and 0.163 × 10−6 to 1.175 × 10−6 m2/s for lentil and chickpea flours, respectively) was calculated from known values of k, Cp , and density (ρ), with its values decreasing as the MC levels increased. Thermal properties data from our experiments did not fit into the components-based mechanistic models. Models generated in this study have good significance (p< .05 and R2 ≈ 1), meaning they can be used for prediction of these properties, as well as modeling and simulation of thermal behavior of pulses during conventional or radio frequency (RF) heating.