Dielectric properties of albumin and yolk of avian egg.

ABSTRACT

The dielectric properties of albumin and yolk of eggs of hen and duck have been investigated using the time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique in the frequency range 10 MHz to 10 GHz at room temperature. The conductivity and pH values were also measured. It has been found that the values of dielectric constant (epsilon s) is lower, while the values of relaxation time tau(ps) are higher than that of pure water possibly due to the bound water present in the yolk and albumin of the avian egg. The dielectric constant for albumin is more than that for yolk of eggs, while reverse is found with the values of relaxation time. Also albumin shows approximately three times higher conductivity than that of yolk. In the case of relatively older (by 2 days) eggs, the dielectric parameters tend to be slightly increased.