Ohmic heating of chicken sausage: electrical conductivities, heating characteristics, temperature prediction, and the comparison with conventional heating methods

Abstract In this study, chicken sausages were prepared with different levels of salt (1.50 or 1.125 %) and sodium nitrite (0, 80, 125, or 250 ppm) for electrical conductivity determination. Three different heating methods were applied: smokehouse, water bath, and ohmic. The main objectives were to investigate: (1) the electrical conductivity of sausages with different formulations; (2) the heating pattern of sausages during ohmic heating compared to the conventional techniques; and (3) the accuracy of mathematical models for sample temperature prediction. The results demonstrated that the electrical conductivity values of sausage samples were suitable for ohmic heating. In ohmic heating experiments, the heating rate in the sausage center was greater than on the surface. The sausage temperature was higher than the surrounding liquid at the end of ohmic heating experiment which was opposite to the conventional heating. Overall, the most accurate model for sausage temperature prediction was basic model case iii.