The Analysis of Dielectric Constant, Loss Factor and Q-Factor of Selected Fruits at Microwave Frequency Range

The dielectric constant, dielectric loss factor and Q-Factor of orange, red and green apples were studied at Microwave frequency range. An algorithm was written using the Debye equations and the interactive problem-solving environment of Maple-18 was used to generate results for the dielectric constant, loss factor and quality factor. The variation in the dielectric constant, loss factor and Q-factor as both frequency and temperature changes respectively within and range were shown graphically. The dielectric constant of all the fruits were higher at lower frequencies, it then decreases continuously as frequency increases. On the other hand, the loss factor of this fruits were small at lower frequencies but increased to its peak before decreasing continuously for all temperatures. Interestingly, the fruits’ Q-Factor were higher at lower frequencies and temperatures but decreases rapidly as the frequency increases. The contribution of the space charge, orientation, ionic and electronic polarizations to the dielectric constant, dielectric loss factor and Q-Factor of these fruits at lower frequency and higher frequency were discussed. The effect of the excess sugar and water content on the dielectric constant, loss factor and Q-Factor attributed to the appearance of vibrational peaks was also discussed. This work hereby provides a guidance in developing new microwave processes.