Calorimetry

Calorimetry is the technique for measuring the energy content of foods from the heat released during combustion of a known amount of sample. In a bomb calorimeter, the sample is burned completely in oxygen and the temperature rise of the surrounding water reveals the gross energy content. Nutrition science adjusts these gross figures for digestibility and urinary losses to estimate the utilizable energy actually available to the body, giving the familiar calorific values. Calorimetry remains the reference method against which calculated food energy values are checked.