THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF CHICKEN MEAT AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN −75 AND 20°C

Effects of temperature and time postmortem on the thermal conductivity of white and dark chicken meat were studied using a line heat source thermal conductivity probe to measure thermal conductivity. The effect of time postmortem was determined at body temperature and 20° C by leaving probes in whole birds for periods of 1–2 days; time postmortem had no significant effect. The effect of temperature was studied at temperatures of 20, 10, 0, −10, −20, −40 and −75°C using cylindrically shaped samples 3/4 in. in diam × 11/2 in. long. 48 samples were used from 24 7‐lb cockerels. Three thermal conductivity measurements were made on each sample at each temperature level. The effect of temperature was similar to that reported in the literature for other meats. The following equations may be used to express the results obtained for white meat: k(Watt/m‐°C) = 0.476 + 0.00060T(°C) (0–20°C) and k(Watt/m‐°C) = 1.07 − 0149T − 1.04 × 10 −4 T 2 (−75 to −10°C). Similar expressions were obtained for dark meat.