Novel Technique for Measurements of Dielectric Properties and Microwave Heating of In-Shell Eggs without Explosions in Microwave Oven for Pasteurization

Shell eggs are splattered out when they are subjected to microwave heating. In this paper, microwave heating of in-shell eggs without explosions in a domestic microwave oven has been done by identifying suitable power regions. First objective of this study was to measure dielectric properties of egg components which are so important in microwave heating. Second objective was to model and analyze electromagnetic power distribution inside a microwave oven working at 2450 MHz with in-shell egg as load. The study revealed that the albumen has higher dielectric properties than the yolk which is leading to its faster heating rate and cause to splatter at high energy points. The spots where the albumin got less cooked comparatively are marked as low power regions. It becomes evident when a whole shell egg placed at the identified low power regions in real microwave oven it was found well cooked without explosion.