A cubic polynomial was fitted to the AHC data obtained using Eq. (3) as a function of temperature T. Fig. 1 depicts the theoretical AHC curve. By employing the cubic polynomial equation for the mushy zone (T2 < T < T1), AHC curve for each food item was developed as shown in the piecewise Eq. (4). Depending on the process, freezing or thawing, temperature T1 is defined as the initial freezing point or final thawing point, respectively. For the completely thawed region (T1 < T) and completely frozen region (T < T2), the respective constant values of AHC, obtained from the DSC thermogram, were used.