Measurement of the specific Heat Capacity of Selected Fruits, Vegetables, and Juices Available in Gharyan City Markets Using the Method of Thermal Mixing

Abstract

This study aims to determine the specific heat capacity of selected fruits, vegetables, andcommonly consumed juices available in the markets of Gharyan City, Libya. The investigated samples including  apple, orange, kiwi, cucumber, strawberry, Tomato, watermelon, pinapple juice, pear juice, fresh lemon  juice, and natural rose geranium hydrosol extracted from Pelargonium graveolens by hydrodistillation. The measurements were carried out using the mixing calorimetry method based on the principles of energy conservation and thermal equilibrium. The experiments were conducted in the laboratories of the Faculty of Science, Gharyan University, the masses of the sample and water, together with their initial and final temperatures, of each sample was calculated using the standard calorimetric equations. The obtained results were compared with published values reported in previous studies to evaluate the accuracy of the measurements. The results showed good agreement with most of the reference values, with only minor differences that could be attributed to variations in moisture content, chemical composition, storage conditions, and sample processing. Among the investigated samples, kiwi exhibited the highest specific heat capacity, whereas zucchini showed the lowest value.The findings demonstrate that the mixing calorimetry method is a simple, practical, and reliable technique for determining the specific heat capacity of food materials. Furthermore, it can be effectively applied in educational and research laboratories as well as in studies related to food engineering, thermal processing, and food preservation.