LAUSR

The browning index (BI) represents the color of browning bread and is an important part of the baking process when using a domestic electric oven. Previous studies have developed CFD models for analyzing the baking process, but there are deficiencies in finite element analysis for evaluating the browning of bread. In this study, the uniformity of browning index (UBI) was defined, and a finite element analysis method to reduce the cost and time required for the evaluation of UBI by experiment was suggested for the baking process to develop a new electric oven. The errors of the temperature in the oven cavity and the UBI between experiments and the analysis decreased when using an on/off algorithm for the heater. The CFD results show that the temperature distribution and air flow in the oven cavity are dominant factors in the UBI. The length of the fan cover outlet was designed to reach the performance objective of the UBI less than 12.5 and to control the air flow in the cavity. Baking experiments with the proposed model were performed for verification.