ABSTRACT

Microwaves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum in the frequency range of 300-300,000 MHz. Microwaves present many advantages compared to conventional heating methods, including rapid heating, energy conservation, and convenience (Venkatesh and Raghavan, 2004; Zhang et al., 2006). During the past few decades, a microwave oven has indeed become one of the important appliances in many homes. However, microwave cooking has not found similar popularity in industrial thermal processing applications. Apart from government regulations over the use of microwave frequencies, the major hindering factor is the poor understanding of microwaves and material interactions. Material properties, especially dielectric properties, play a major role in determining the microwave ablity of a product. Hence, understanding of the dielectric properties of food materials is the ’rst step in developing successful microwave processing methods.