Dielectric Properties of Raw and Cooked Chicken Egg at 3 GHz, 23 — 140°C

We report the dielectric properties of fresh and cooked chicken egg at 3 GHz over the temperature range 23<T< 140°C. The dielectric properties of egg white are discussed in terms of its potential as a browning agent in microwave cooking. A dynamic cavity perturbation technique has been used; constituents were measured in cylindrical vials as they were heated, and then reheated from the cooked state. We discuss the precision and accuracy of the method in general as well as the predictable variability of this particular material. The measurement technique is simple and convenient; it has precision and acceptable accuracy (better than, we estimate, ± 7% over a wide range of values of €′, €”) for viscous fluids and pastes, which include most browning agents and susceptor materials used in microwave cooking.