Effect of Temperature and Moisture Content on Thermal Properties of Four Types of Meat Part Two: Specific Heat & Enthalpy

The specific heat and enthalpy of four different types of meats (Veal, Hashi, Noeimi, and Najdi) were determined in the temperature range of −40 to 40°C and moisture content range of 30-75% (wet basis). The two properties were measured by the modulated differential scanning calorimeter (MDSC). The specific heat increased almost linearly more significantly with the increasing levels of moisture content than temperature. Multiple regression models with high R 2 values were developed to correlate specific heat as a function of moisture content. Statistical analysis revealed that moisture content had significant effect on specific heat of meats. Experimental enthalpy data were compared with predictive models from the literature which gave similar results but none of them was suitable to interpret MDSC results in the temperature range of phase change.