The state of Paraná has consolidated itself as the largest producer and exporter of poultry meat in Brazil. The thermophysical properties, including thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific mass are important parameters to be considered in projects and operations involving thermal processing such as pasteurization, sterilization, cooking, refrigeration and freezing. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate the thermophysical properties - thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific mass - of chicken breast meat as a function of moisture content and temperature. The thermal conductivity was measured by the linear probe method with internal generation of heat, thermal diffusivity was determined based on the method of Dickerson, while the density was measured by pycnometry. The three properties were strongly affected by moisture content, with an increase in the values of conductivity and thermal diffusivity at higher moisture contents, while the specific mass, or density, showed the opposite result, with denser samples at lower moisture contents. The effect of temperature led to an increase in the values for thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity, but in general led to a lowering of the specific mass.
Thermal conductivity; Thermal diffusivity; Specific mass; Heat transfer
