Predicting Temperature vs Time Behavior During the Freezing and Thawing of Rectangular Foods
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026

The Use of High-resolution Infrared Thermography (HRIT) for the Study of Ice Nucleation and Ice Propagation in Plants
Published on: May 8, 2015
1Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Technicas Argentina.
Abstract:
Based on the effective heat capacity characteristics of biological materials during freezing we have derived a short-cut equation for predicting their temperature vs time behavior during freezing and thawing. The equation can be used in the low Biot number range for rectangular bodies with similar or dissimilar heat-transfer coefficients at their different surfaces. It has been experimentally and numerically tested for rectangular blocks of chopped beef with two or four exposed sides for Biot numbers ranging between 0 and 3. In this range it predicts temperature vs time behavior with errors of less than 5 to 10% in terms of overall processing time. By using numerical methods, the approach used can be extended to handle problems involving time-varying boundary conditions and many types of non-linear, physical-property behavior.
Related Concept Videos
Frost Action on Concrete
This freeze-thaw cycle primarily causes surface scaling, where...
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Heating and Cooling Curves
For instance, the addition of heat raises the temperature of a solid; the amount of heat absorbed depends on the heat capacity of the solid (q = mcsolidΔT). According to thermochemistry, the relation between the amount of heat absorbed or released by a substance, q, and its...
Principles of Food Preservation
Methods of Controlling Food Spoilage
Frost Resistant Concrete
Introducing microscopic air bubbles into the concrete mix through air entrainment creates small voids that accommodate ice expansion, thereby reducing internal pressures and preventing cracking. The optimal amount of entrained...

