Improvement of microwave reheating uniformity for baked pancake from dielectric properties and heating mechanisms

Baked pancake (BP) was unevenly heated during 2450 MHz microwave reheating (MR) and the water migrated by the temperature difference resulted in poor eating quality. The strategies to improve the edible quality of MR-BP were explored in terms of dielectric properties and reheating mechanisms. The only outer distribution of salt and sugar reduced the temperature difference during MR by increasing the dielectric loss factor (ε′) and loss tangent (tan δ). MR-BP exhibited promising moisture distribution and texture consistency when the ratio of the outer layer with salt and sugar to the inner layer without was 1:1. Furthermore, by reversing the temperature difference during MR without changing the salt and sugar distribution, infrared combined with 915 MHz microwave reheating (IMR) increased heating and texture uniformity, improving eating quality. Practical applications The eating quality of Chinese pancakes decreased during MR. In this study, adding salt and sugar only to the outer layer improved the quality of MR-BP. Furthermore, IMR increased the quality of reheating BP without changing salt and sugar distribution. Current work aims to improve consumer satisfaction with Chinese pancakes and promote its commercialization.