SACE Stage 2-Physics

Physics Investigation:
Should microwaves be used as a source of heating food?
The microwave oven was invented in 1946 by Dr. Percy Spencer. Spencer did not intend to
invent the microwave, but discovered it by luck when he was testing a magnetron, and a candy
bar in his pocket melted, inducing his curiosity. He tested out this revelation again with popcorn
kernels and an egg and came to a realization that this was a method in which food could be
cooked relatively quickly by exposing food to low density microwave energy, in which Spencer
went on to design the first microwave (Gallawa 2001). This was a revelation to cooking food as
it eventually became an extremely convenient and fast method of cooking food. Nevertheless,
the safety of cooking food in microwave ovens has been questioned over the years and there
are many controversies about the effects that microwave ovens have on food.
Figure 1: Magnetron.
(http://www.online2see.com/sciences/major-sciences/secrets-of-microwave_717)

A magnetron works by a high voltage being applied to the cathode filament. After the cathode
filament has heated up, it emits electrons that are attracted to the positively charged anode
plates. This causes the antenna to resonate at 2.45GHz which then emit microwaves from its
top (Online2See Magazine, 2010).
Figure 1: The design of the first microwave. (http://www.smecc.org/microwave_oven.htm)

SACE Stage 2-Physics

As its name suggests, microwave ovens heat food with microwaves. These microwaves are
electromagnetic waves, with frequencies around 2.45GHz, made up of oscillating magnetic
fields and electric fields perpendicular to one another. Microwaves have the ability to rapidly
increase the temperature of food. This is done by taking advantage of the water molecule
behaviour in food when exposed to electromagnetic waves. When a positively charged particle
enters an electric field, a force is applied onto the molecule in the direction of the field.
Alternatively, if a negatively charged particle enters an electric field, a force is also applied on
the particle, however, in the direction opposite to the field. Because water is a polar molecule
with positively and negatively charged sides, water will experience the force from an electric
field which causes the water molecules to rotate interchanging from counter clockwise to
clockwise. This enables the water molecules to obtain heat energy in which it rubs off to
adjacent molecules like friction, resulting in the entire body of the object, or in this case food,
being heated rapidly (Villanueva, 2009).
Figure 2: The effect of electric fields on water molecules:
(http://www.online2see.com/sciences/major-sciences/secrets-of-microwave_717)

SACE Stage 2-Physics

There are many

suspicions
regarding the effect
of microwave ovens
on the molecular
structure of food
along
with
the
deformation of its
nutrients
and
vitamins. In one
case, blood was
heated up in a
microwave for a
blood
transfusion,
and because of that, the patient was killed during a simple operation. This led to the safety of
microwaves being questioned. It was thought that microwaving the blood had altered the
molecules and hence deformed the blood (Newell & Wayne 2000). Nevertheless, this was not
the case. The reason for this result was that microwave ovens tend to cause uneven heating.
Furthermore, microwaves increase temperature extremely rapidly and the blood may have
become too hot for usage. The overheating of the blood and the uneven heating led to the
patients death, which is why blood used for surgery cannot be heated in the microwave
(Connolly & Goyette & Grabowy & Paddock &Pappas & Schwaitzberg 1995).
Proper microwave heating has the ability to remove the bacteria in food. However, due to
uneven heating, it is possible for the dangerous bacteria to remain in certain regions of the
food. Microwaves, unlike ovens, do not cook the food from inside out, so thick pieces of meat
cooked in microwaves can result in being thoroughly cooked on the outside with a cold interior
(Health Canada, 2010).
Besides uneven heating, there have been claims about how microwave cooking kills vitamins
and nutrients. All food loses nutrients when heated, but it depends on the method of heating
that determines the quantity of nutrition lost. The nutritional value lost in food when heated in
the microwave can be compared to that of the nutritional loss of food when heated by means
of boiling and steaming. Data shows that food actually retains more nutrients when heated in
the microwave than boiled. This is because the water during boiling leeches the nutrients off
the food, whereas in microwave heating, there is no water for this to occur (Online2See
Magazine 2010).
It is often found that microwaving food causes the food to taste bad. In addition, food that has
been heated in a microwave looks less appetising and less fresh to that of when its cooked by
other means such as ovens. The fact that food looks less fresh raises the question of whether
microwaves kill the nutrients and vitamins in the food and hence destroys the food. Take coffee
as an example. When cold coffee is reheated using a microwave, it tastes worse than when it
was first made. Nevertheless, this is not due to the effects of the microwave, but instead
because when coffee is left for a while, the highly volatile coffee oils become rancid causing the
coffee to change flavour (Seasoned Advice, 2011). In another case, meat heated in microwaves
turns out a lot tougher than when its heated by other sources. This is because microwave

SACE Stage 2-Physics

ovens cook food very quickly, but cooking consists of a series of chemical reactions that require
time for each reaction to take place (Anantheswaran 2012). Since microwaves do not prescribe
the time required, the cooking is rushed and the taste of the food is not at its full potential.
Food may also not look appetising when cooked in microwaves than by other methods because
the food doesnt brown. However, because it doesnt brown, it retains amino acids in the food
such as lysine (Steele 2007).
Concerns regarding the effects of microwave ovens on cooking food are unnecessary. Although
microwaves cause uneven heating, their effect on the foods nutrients and vitamins are similar
to other methods of heating. In fact, if heated properly using a microwave, microwaves have
the ability to kill bacteria in food and retain more nutrients than other certain cooking methods
like boiling.

Word count: 965

Bibliography:
CSIRO 2011, The Dangers of Microwave Ovens, CSIRO, http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Foodand-Agriculture/safety-of-microwave-ovens.aspx, (accessed 31 July 2012)
Newell, Lawrence & Wayne, Anthony 2000, Microwave Ovens: The proven dangers, GHC
(Global Healing Center), http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/health-hazards-to-knowabout/microwave-ovens-the-proven-dangers, (accessed 31 July).
Villanueva,
John
Carl
2009,
How
do
microwaves
work?,
Universe
http://www.universetoday.com/45527/how-do-microwaves-work/, (accessed 8 August).

Today,

Gallawa, J. Carlton 2001, A Brief History of the Microwave Oven, Microwave Oven,
http://www.smecc.org/microwave_oven.htm, (accessed 8 August).
Health Canada 2010, Microwave ovens and food safety, Health Canada, http://www.hcsc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/prod/micro-f-a-eng.php (accessed 8 August 2012).
Moody, Matt 2012, Do microwaves change the molecular structure of food?, Changing your
stripes, http://www.calldrmatt.com/Myth_Busting_101.htm (accessed 8 August 2012)
Seasoned Advice 2011, Why does coffee taste awful after reheating it in the microwave?,
Seasoned
Advice,http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/19252/why-does-coffee-tasteawful-after-reheating-it-in-a-microwave-oven (accessed 10 August 2012).
Anantheswaran, Swamy 2012, 10 Common questions and their answers, She knows food and
recipes,http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/4529/microwave-cooking,
(accessed 10 August).
USDA 2011, Microwave Ovens and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service,
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/microwave_ovens_and_food_safety/index.asp (accessed 12
August)
Steele,
Bob
2007,
Is
microwaved
food
safe?,
ABC
Health
&
Wellbeing,
http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2007/12/12/2106664.htm,
(accessed 12 August 2012).

SACE Stage 2-Physics

Online2See Magazine 2010, Secrets of the Microwave, Online2See Magazine,

http://www.online2see.com/sciences/major-sciences/secrets-of-microwave_717 (accessed 18
September 2012).
Connolly RJ & Goyette P& Grabowy R & Paddock H &Pappas CG & Schwaitzberg SD 1995, Inline microwave blood warming of in-date human packed red blood cells,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7600834 (accessed 18 September).