Abstract
Published data of the effective thermal conductivities of meats were analyzed in relation to approximate compositions of the meats. On the basis of series heat conduction model, the "intrinsic" thermal conductivity value of meat protein was estimated to be 0.342 [W/m•°C] when unfrozen, and 0.581 [W/m•°C] when frozen. Using these "intrinsic" values and the series heat conduction model, the effective thermal conductivities of meats were reversely predicted from the contents of water and fat. Standard deviations of the published data from the predictions were ±7.0% for unfrozen meats and ±15.4% for frozen meats. If heat flow is parallel to the meat grain, published data for frozen meats are higher than the predictions by about 20% as a mean.
