FLUID-TO-PARTICLE HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENT DETERMINATION of HETEROGENEOUS FOODS: A REVIEW

The importance of the fluid-to-particle convective heat transfer coefficient (hfP) in thermal processing of heterogeneous foods, i.e., foods comprised of a liquid (brine, sauce) and particles, is stressed in this review. Methods to determine hfp and problems encountered upon their application are discussed. an overview of experimental approaches to quantify this parameter is given for processing of heterogeneous foods, both in traditional canning and in aseptic processing. the wide range of previously determined hfp's suggests reliable methods should be developed and extensive studies carried out to determine the fluid-to-particle heat transfer coefficient unambiguously in different processing systems under a variety of processing conditions.