Effect of temperature and bulk density on thermal conductivity of spray-dried whole milk powder

The thermal conductivity of whole milk powder was determined by a steady-state guarded hot-plate method at temperatures ranging from 11·8 to 43·2°C, at bulk densities 0·512 and 0·605 g cm^?3.It was found that thermal conductivity increased with increasing temperature and with increasing bulk density. Thermal conductivity increased from 0·036 W m^?1 K^?1 at 11·8°C to 0·077 W m^?1 K^?1 at 43·2°C for bulk density 0·512 g cm^?3, while for bulk density 0·605 g cm^?3 thermal conductivity increased from 0·058 W m^?1 K^?1 at 16·6°C to 0·093 W m^?1 K^?1 at 42·8°C.