Question

The term specific heat of food refers to:

• A. Heat required to melt food
• B. Heat required to raise 1 kg food by $1^\circ$C
• C. Heat lost during drying
• D. Heat transferred per unit area

Hint:

Specific heat = Heat per kg per degree. Do not confuse with latent heat.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept: Specific heat is a fundamental thermophysical property that defines how much heat energy is required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius.

Step 1: Definition of specific heat.
Specific heat ($c$) is defined as: \[ c = \frac{Q}{m \Delta T} \] where:
• $Q$ = heat supplied
• $m$ = mass
• $\Delta T$ = temperature change

Step 2: Interpreting the definition.
For 1 kg of substance and temperature rise of $1^\circ$C: \[ c = Q \] Thus, specific heat represents the heat required for unit mass and unit temperature rise.

Step 3: Evaluating options.
• Heat required to melt food — This is latent heat, not specific heat
• Heat required to raise 1 kg food by $1^\circ$C — Correct definition
• Heat lost during drying — Not a definition
• Heat transferred per unit area — Related to heat flux

Step 4: Final reasoning.
Only option (2) correctly matches the definition of specific heat. Final Conclusion:
Specific heat is the heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of food by $1^\circ$C. Hence, the correct answer is option (2).