Temperature-Dependent Dielectric Properties of Raw Cow’s and Goat’s Milk from 10 to 4,500 MHz Relevant to Radio-frequency and Microwave Pasteurization Process

To offer useful information for milk pasteurization with radio-frequency or microwave heating, the dielectric properties (dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor) of raw cow’s milk and goat’s milk were determined over the frequency range of 10–4,500 MHz and temperature range of 25–75 °C by a vector network analyzer and an open-ended coaxial-line probe. The mathematical models describing the relationship between permittivities and temperature were built, and the power penetration depth was investigated. The results showed that both for cow’s milk and goat’s milk, the dielectric constants decreased with an increase of frequency, and the dielectric loss factor decreased with increasing frequency below 1,000 MHz and increased after that. The dielectric constants decreased with increasing temperature at a given frequency. For raw cow’s milk, the dielectric loss factor almost increased with temperature below about 800 MHz, and decreased with temperature above that. For raw goat’s milk, the loss factor decreased with temperature in whole investigated frequency range. Quadratic equations could be used to describe the relationship between permittivities and temperature at interested frequencies with coefficient of determination higher than 0.96. The penetration depth decreased with increasing frequency. Contrasted to frequency, temperature had less effect on penetration depth. Microwave heating at 915 MHz has great potential for raw cow’s milk pasteurization, while radio-frequency heating at 27.12 and 40.68 MHz and microwave heating at 915 MHz can be used for goat’s milk pasteurization.