Measurement of thermal conductivity of dairy products

Thermal conductivity of eleven kinds of cheese, four kinds of yogurt and a butter sample has been measured at about 15 degrees C and 30 degrees C. A modified hot wire method was used for thermal conductivity measurements. The effect of the water, fat and protein content on the thermal conductivity has been investigated, the measured thermal conductivity values were linearly dependent on water content, and inversely dependent on fat and protein contents of the various dairy products. A slight increase in the thermal conductivity with temperature has been noticed for four cheese samples studied over a wider range of temperature, between 4 degrees C and 44 degrees C. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.