Thermal properties of restructured beef snack sticks throughout smokehouseprocessing

Restructured snack sticks with two levels of citric acid were heat processe d in a smokehouse for 9 h. Samples were removed at 30 min intervals for lab oratory analyses of pH, yield, moisture, lipid, density, specific heat, the rmal conductivity and shear force. Thermal diffusivity was calculated. A ra ndomized complete block design with four replications and a control were us ed. Throughout processing, pH values for all three samples were significant ly different validating the need for comparisons. Incorporation of citric a cid decreased product yields. After 540 min of smokehouse processing, densi ty values ranged from 0.95 to 0.97 g/cm(3); specific heat values for all th ree products were 3 kJ/kg degrees C; thermal conductivity values ranged fro m 0.25-0.33 W/m degrees C; and thermal diffusivity, from 0.89 to 1.1 (m(3)/ s) 10(-7). Factors affecting each of the changes in these thermal propertie s were discussed with implications for product development. (C) 1999 Academ ic Press.