Photothermal Techniques Applied to the Thermal and Optical Characterization of Curcuma longa

In recent years, has been reported an increasing interest to study vegetables and fruits in order to know their benefits to prevent different types of health problems. Curcuma longa has a great potential to prevent diseases as different types of cancer. In the present study, C. longa samples, of different trademarks, were optically and thermally characterized by using photoacoustic spectroscopy and photopyroelectric techniques, obtaining their optical absorption spectra, optical absorption length spectra, the thermal diffusivity, effusivity, conductivity and heat capacity per unit volume, observing optical absorptions corresponding to antioxidant elements, reported such as beneficial for health. These properties also could be important in the food industry for the commercialization of functional foods.