Journal of Food Processing and Preservation ISSN 1745-4549

SPECIFIC HEAT, THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND THERMAL

DIFFUSIVITY OF RED LENTIL SEED AS A FUNCTION OF
MOISTURE CONTENT
SEYED MOHAMMAD TAGHI GHARIBZAHEDI1,3, MOHAMMAD GHAHDERIJANI2 and
ZHALEH SADAT LAJEVARDI1
1

Department of Food Science, Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, PO Box 4111,
Karaj 31587-77871, Iran
2
Department of Agricultural Mechanization & Machinery, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Corresponding author.
TEL: +98-26-3224-8804;
FAX: +98-3224-9453;
EMAIL: smt.gharibzahedi@gmail.com
Received for Publication February 23, 2013
Accepted for Publication June 9, 2013
doi:10.1111/jfpp.12151

ABSTRACT
Thermal properties of red lentil seeds, including specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity in the moisture content range of 9.521.1% (w.b) were
determined. The specific heat was measured using method of mixtures and found
to be between 1.08 and 2.03 kJ/kgK as the moisture content increased. The
thermal conductivity of seed increased from 0.191 to 0.241 W/mK by increasing
moisture content (P < 0.05). This relationship has been established in the form of
a second-order regression equation. Moreover, the thermal diffusivity computed
from the values of thermal conductivity, specific heat and bulk density showed
polynomial decrease from 2.15 l07 to 1.65 107 m2/s in the specified range of
moisture content (P < 0.05). Determination of these characteristics is practical in
modeling thermal behavior of red lentil seeds during thermal processing operations, such as frying, drying and baking.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Thermal properties of agricultural materials and foods need to be known to better
understand their nature and to be able to develop new technologies. Knowledge of
thermal properties is important for mathematical modeling and simulation of
heat and moisture transport. However, the moisture content significantly affects
different thermal characteristics. The presented models and equations in this
study allow engineers to predict these properties, thus saving time, material
and cost.

INTRODUCTION
Legumes are consumed as a good source of protein, especially in throughout the Middle East, where animal proteins
are expensive. Meanwhile, the red lentil (Lens culinaris
Medik.) is an important traditional dietary item in developing countries like Iran. This seeds play an essential role in
human nutrition since they are rich sources of starch, calories, certain minerals and vitamins. The comparatively
shorter cooking time and lower antinutritional factors than
most other food legumes make lentils more suitable for
human consumption (Wang and Daun 2006). Therefore,
thermal processes are widely applied to legumes to obtain
high-quality products.

Thermal properties aid sizing the thermal equipment and

understanding the food transformation, e.g., the evolution
of Biot number, along the process affects the heating kinetics inside the particle. Thermal conductivity, thermal
diffusivity and specific heat capacity are three important
thermal engineering properties of a material related to heat
transfer characteristics. These parameters are essential in
studying heating, freezing, thawing, cooking, drying, frying
and cooling processes for red lentil seeds (Andrs et al.
2012). Specific heat in thermal processes has a key role in
computation of energy cost and also required dimensions
for machinery and equipment design. Moreover, this
parameter changes in food products along with their physical and chemical properties (Mioe and Grodek 2007).

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation (2013) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

THERMAL PROPERTIES OF RED LENTIL SEEDS

S.M.T. GHARIBZAHEDI, M. GHAHDERIJANI and Z.S. LAJEVARDI

Thermal conductivity of food materials is very important

not only for process design, but also to predict and control
of different changes occurring in food during thermal processing. Generally, this character depends on moisture
content, temperature, porosity, nutritional content and
component phases distribution. Also, thermal diffusivity is
a necessary transport attribute that is needed in modeling
and computations of transient heat transfer in basic food
processing operations, including drying, cooling/freezing
and thermal processing (Kocabiyik et al. 2009).
Research on thermal properties has been reported for
agricultural crops, especially different types of seeds, such as
borage seed (Borago officinalis) (Yang et al. 2002), cumin
seed (Cuminum cyminum Linn.) (Singh and Goswami
2000), guna seed (Citrullus colocynthis) (Aviara et al. 2008),
black seed (Nigella oxypetala Boiss.) (Gharibzahedi et al.
2012), roselle seed (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) (Bamgboye and
Adejumo 2010) and Loco (Concholepas concholepas) (Reyes
et al. 2011).
To the best of our knowledge, detailed measurements of
red lentil seeds thermal properties at various moisture
levels have not been reported. Therefore, the objectives of
this study were to determine the specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and the effect of moisture
content of red lentil seeds on these properties.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Red lentil seeds (Lens culinaris Medik, Karaj cultivar) were

used for all the experiments in this study. The seeds were
obtained from the local market during JuneJuly, 2008 in
Karaj (located in the west of capital Tehran) and were kept
in cooled bags during transportation to the laboratory. The
seeds were cleaned in an air screen cleaner to remove all
foreign matter, such as dust, dirt and chaff, as well as
immature and damaged seeds. The initial moisture content
was determined by drying the lentil sample in an airventilated oven at 45C for 72 h (Gharibzahedi et al. 2010).
In order to achieve the desired moisture levels for the
study, samples were conditioned by adding a calculated
amount of water based on Eq. (1) (Gharibzahedi et al.
2010) followed by a thorough mixing and sealing in plastic
bags.
(1)

where: Q is the mass of water to be added in kg; Wi is the

initial mass of the sample in kg; Mi is the initial moisture
content of the sample in percentage (% w.b.) and Mf is the
final moisture content in percentage (% w.b.).
2

Thermal Properties Measurement

Thermal properties, including specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, were determined. Specific
heat of the seeds was measured by a copper calorimeter
placed inside a flask by the method of mixtures
(Gharibzahedi et al. 2012). A sample of known weight and
temperature was poured into the calorimeter containing
water of known weight and temperature. The mixture was
stirred with a copper stirrer until equilibrium was achieved.
The final temperature was noted and the specific heat (cs) of
the sample was calculated using the following equation
(Eq. 2):

(m c + mw c w ) (Te Twi )
cs = c c

ms (Tsi Te )

Sample Preparation

Wi ( M f M i )
Q=
(100 M f )

The samples were kept at room temperature for 1.5 day

to enable the moisture to distribute uniformly. Preliminary
investigation demonstrated that this time was adequate for
the favorable hydration. The moisture content of samples
after equilibration was determined before each test. Accordingly, moisture levels of 9.1, 13.2, 16.8, 19.7 and 21.1% w.b.
were obtained. Before starting the experiment, the samples
were taken out of the refrigerator and allowed to warm up
to the room temperature for 2 h. Also, bulk density (b)
is the ratio of grain mass to the volume of the sample
container (Gharibzahedi et al. 2011).

(2)

where mc is the mass of the calorimeter (kg), ms is the

sample mass of (kg), mw is the mass of water (kg), cc is the
specific heat of the calorimeter (J/kgK), cw is the specific
heat of water (Jkg1K1), Te is the equilibrium temperature
(K), Tsi is the initial temperature of the sample (K) and Twi
is the initial temperature of water (K).
A probe was used to determine the thermal conductivity
of the bulk seeds (k). A heated source, a calorimeter base
and a Dewar vessel (to decrease heat losses due to radiation)
were assembled to provide the equipment used for measuring the thermal conductivity. Before placing the seeds into
the sample tube, they were put under pressure to provide a
good contact among them. Afterwards, the sample tube,
which was equipped with two thermocouples, penetrated
into the seeds through the provided holes was placed
between the clamp and the heat source. The maximum temperature of the seed bulk was controlled by a thermostat
during the measurements and steady-state conditions of the
equipment were provided before the measurements performed. For calculation of the thermal conductivity of the
seed bulk, the amount of heat absorbed by water was determined. The thermocouple reading was taken to signify the
temperature at the cross-section as there was no radial heat

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation (2013) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

S.M.T. GHARIBZAHEDI, M. GHAHDERIJANI and Z.S. LAJEVARDI

THERMAL PROPERTIES OF RED LENTIL SEEDS

transfer (Gharibzahedi et al. 2012). Calculating the thermal

diffusivity (D) based on the measured values of specific heat
and thermal conductivity, the following relationship was
applied (Eq. 3):

k
D=
c sb

(3)

where: D is the thermal diffusivity in m2/s; k is the thermal

conductivity in W/mK, cs is specific heat in J/kgK and b is
the bulk density in kg/m3.

Statistical Analysis
Each property was determined with ten replications. The
results obtained from all experiments were subjected to
anova, applying randomized complete block design, using
SPSS 13 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) software. The F-test was
used to determine significant effect of thermal treatment,
and Duncans multiple ranges test was used to separate
means at a 5% level of significance.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Thermal Characteristics
The specific heat of red lentil seeds in the moisture content
range of 9.521.1% (w.b) is presented in Table 1. It can be
seen that the specific heat increased significantly with
increase in the moisture content (P < 0.05). The mean
values increased linearly from 1.08 to 2.03 J/kgK in the
moisture range from 9.5 to 21.1% d.b (Fig. 1a). Regression
model with high R2 value were developed to predict the specific heat of red lentil seeds as a function of moisture
(Table 2). Hsu et al. (1991), by studying thermal properties
of Iranian pistachio nuts, reported a linear relationship
between their specific heat and moisture content. Also, they
indicated that the values of specific heat increased from 1.1
to 2.1 kJ/kgK in the moisture content range of 7.539%
w.b. Chandrasekar and Viswanathan (1999) investigated the
thermal properties of two varieties of coffee beans in the
moisture range of 9.930.6% w.b. Their results revealed that

specific heat increased linearly in the range of 0.782.36 kJ/

kgK, with increasing moisture content for both the varieties. However, Yang et al. (1997) found a nonlinear increase
in specific heat level by increasing moisture content of
borage seeds.
Variation of the thermal conductivity with moisture
content is depicted in Fig. 1b. The thermal conductivity
increased from 0.191 to 0.241 W/mK by increasing moisture content (Table 1). Changes in moisture content of
these seeds had significant effect on thermal conductivity
(P < 0.05). The thermal conductivity of red lentil seeds is
observed to be higher than that of pigeon pea, sorghum
and wheat, but lower than that of bean and corn. Difference in thermal conductivity may be attributed to the
variation in seed size, the porosity of sample bulk, and
seed chemical composition, such as oil and protein contents (Gharibzahedi et al. 2012). The thermal conductivity
of red lentil seeds has a relationship polynomial of the
second order with moisture content (Table 2). Trends have
been reported by Singh and Goswami (2000) for cumin
seed, Aviara et al. (2008) for sheanut kernel and Yang
et al. (2002) for borage seed. However, some researchers
have reported that the existence of a linear relationship
of thermal conductivity for other agricultural materials
by increasing moisture content (Hsu et al. 1991). Moreover, Tavman and Tavman (1998) found that the thermal
conductivity of wheat varieties increased linearly with
the increase in the moisture content in range of the
9.1738.65%.
The variation of thermal diffusivity by increasing moisture content is depicted in Fig. 1c. It is observed from the
plot that the thermal diffusivity of red lentil seed decreased
significantly from 2.15 l07 to 1.65 7 m2/s with increase in
moisture content (P < 0.05) (Table 1). The variation of
thermal diffusivity with moisture content exhibited a
second-order polynomial relationship with high R2 value
(Table 2). Also, a nonlinear decrease in thermal diffusivity
of wheat and corn by increasing moisture content was
reported (Singh and Goswami 2000). Singh and Goswami
(2000) stated that the thermal diffusivity of cumin seed was
between 14.72 108 and 12.87 108 m2/s in the moisture
content range of 1.811.1% (d.b.) at 10C. However, a linear

TABLE 1. THERMAL PROPERTIES OF RED LENTIL SEEDS AT DIFFERENT MOISTURE CONTENTS

Moisture content (%w.b.)*,
Thermal properties

9.1

13.2

16.8

19.7

21.1

Specific heat (kJ/kgK)

Thermal conductivity (W/mK)
Thermal diffusivity
(m2/s 107)

1.08 0.26d
0.191 0.006d
2.15 0.04a

1.39 0.17c
0.197 0.011d
1.79 0.08bc

1.66 0.15b
0.211 0.008c
1.67 0.06c

1.81 0.20b
0.227 0.006b
1.66 0.11c

2.03 0.11a
0.241 0.013a
1.65 0.04c

* All data represent the mean of 10 replications.

Values in the same row followed by different letters (ad) are significant (P < 0.05).

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation (2013) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

THERMAL PROPERTIES OF RED LENTIL SEEDS

Specific heat (kJ/kgK)

2.1

S.M.T. GHARIBZAHEDI, M. GHAHDERIJANI and Z.S. LAJEVARDI

TABLE 2. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOISTURE CONTENT AND

THERMAL PROPERTIES

1.9

Thermal properties

1.7

Specific heat
cs = 0.0793 Mc + 0.3304
0.9966
Thermal conductivity k = 0.0004 Mc2 0.0066 Mc + 0.2224 0.9968
Thermal diffusivity
D = 0.0061 Mc2 0.2262 Mc + 3.7443 0.9926

1.5

Mc, moisture content (%w.b.); R2, coefficient of determination

1.1

13

17

21

25

Moisture content (% w.b.)

Thermal conductivity (W/mK)

0.26

relationship was found between thermal diffusivity and

moisture content by Subramanian and Viswanathan (2003)
and Aviara et al. (2008) for guna seed and millet grains and
flours, respectively. Moreover, Jha and Prasad (1993), by
studying thermal properties of gorgon nut, reported that
the values of the specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity for this nut showed an increasing linear trend while a
reverse trend was observed for the thermal diffusivity.

CONCLUSION

0.24

1 Thermal properties of red lentil seeds revealed a very

good correlation to their moisture content.
2 Moisture content affected significantly on the thermal
properties, including thermal diffusivity, specific heat and
thermal diffusivity.
3 Thermal properties showed a very good correlation to
moisture content. Linear increase relationship was found
for the specific heat, while variations of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity with moisture content are best
represented by second-order polynomials.

0.22

0.2

0.18
5

13

17

21

25

Moisture content (% w.b.)

2.2

Thermal diffusivity (m2/s 10-7)

R2

1.3

0.9

REFERENCES

2.1
2
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.6
5

13

17

21

25

Moisture content (% w.b.)

FIG. 1. CHANGE OF THE SPECIFIC HEAT (A), THERMAL
CONDUCTIVITY (B) AND THERMAL DIFFUSIVITY (C) OF RED LENTIL
SEEDS WITH DIFFERENT MOISTURE CONTENT

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Journal of Food Processing and Preservation (2013) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.