Conductivity

Conductivity is the umbrella term for two different transport properties: electrical conductivity, the measure of a material’s ability to carry electric current, and thermal conductivity, the thermophysical property governing how fast heat moves through a material. Food engineers use both constantly — electrical conductivity in ohmic heating and electroprocessing, thermal conductivity in every heat-transfer calculation from freezing times to oven design. Both vary with composition, temperature, and structure, which is why published values are starting points and real products get measured.