Specific Heat Capacity Food

Overview

Engineering reference data for Specific Heat Capacity Food in thermodynamics.

Key Formulas

First Law

$\Delta U = Q - W$

Energy is conserved — heat added minus work done.

Ideal Gas Law

$PV = nRT$

Relates pressure, volume, and temperature of an ideal gas.

Heat Transfer

$Q = mc\Delta T$

Sensible heat transfer.

Carnot Efficiency

$\eta = 1 - T_C/T_H$

Maximum efficiency between two temperatures.

Variables

Symbol	Description	Unit
$U$	Internal energy	J
$Q$	Heat	J
$W$	Work	J
$P$	Pressure	Pa
$V$	Volume	m³
$T$	Temperature	K

Specific Heat Capacity Data Table

The following table provides specific heat capacity values for common foods and foodstuffs, with values given both above and below freezing temperatures.

:::note[Data Coverage] The full table from the source contains 234 food items. The table above includes representative samples. For the complete dataset, refer to the Engineering ToolBox source. :::

Key Observations

• Water-rich foods (fruits, vegetables) typically have specific heat values around 0.87–0.98 btu/(lb·°F) above freezing
• Fat-rich foods (butter, lard, oils) have significantly lower specific heat values, around 0.54–0.65 btu/(lb·°F)
• Below freezing, specific heat values are approximately 45–50% of the above-freezing values
• Lean meats generally have specific heat values between 0.60–0.80 btu/(lb·°F)

Unit Conversion Reference

The table presents data in three unit systems:

• btu/(lb·°F) — Imperial system
• kJ/(kg·°C) — SI metric system (SI value ≈ btu × 4.187)
• kcal/(kg·°C) — Metric calorie system (numerically equal to btu/(lb·°F))

Interactive Charts

References

• Original Source