Thermal Properties of Organic Foods

Summary

Thermal properties of selected organic products were investigated using novel DSC technique and methods of determination. The report includes determination of freezing temperatures, glass transition temperatures, amount of ice, and end of freezing point, heat capacity and thermal conductivity for selected cases. One part of the experimental work was devoted to investigate the difference between oils extracted from organic and conventional salmon.
The main aim of the investigation was to understand if the organic food requires any special treatment during processing, when compared with industrially produced foods.
For the investigated organic products (carrots, apples, salmon fillets and pork chops) no significant difference was found compared to conventional products. Organic salmon oil showed a different melting and freezing behaviour, which can be explained by the different fatty acid composition of the feed.
The performed investigation indicate that organic products can be preserved by the same technologies of the food chain than conventional products.
The determined data from the DSC analysis are available for download on http://www.orgprints.org/31539/