## 3 Results and Discussion
### Dielectric Properties of Cirrhinus microlepis Tissues
To overcome this limitation, fish samples were coated with salt and left for 10 min to enhance the dielectric properties of the scales by increasing ionic conductivity. This adjustment aimed to promote more uniform heating, ensuring sufficient energy dissipation in the scales to eliminate parasites before the fish muscle is fully cooked. The increase in dielectric loss of fish scales led to a decrease in penetration depth (_PD_), as described in Equation (2), allowing for improved energy concentration in the scales. After the salt coating, Figure 5b illustrates the dielectric loss (\(\varepsilon^{\prime\prime}\)) of fish tissues, including muscle, skin, and scales, across the frequency range of 1.0-3.0 GHz, represented by downward-facing triangles. The results reveal significant changes in the dielectric loss of scales and skin following the salt treatment, while the muscle tissue shows relatively minor variation. These findings highlight the impact of salt on enhancing the ionic conductivity of the tissues and their capacity for energy dissipation under electromagnetic fields. Fish scales exhibit the highest dielectric loss, as shown by the red line with downward-facing triangles. Before the salt treatment, the scales had the lowest dielectric loss among the three tissue types, reflecting their relatively low ionic conductivity and limited capacity for energy dissipation. The significant increase in dielectric loss after the salt coating is attributed to the penetration of salt ions, which enhances the ionic conductivity of the scales, enabling them to dissipate energy more efficiently under electromagnetic fields. At 2.45 GHz, as presented in Table 2, the industrially relevant frequency for dielectric heating, the salt-induced increases in dielectric loss for fish scales and skin significantly  
Figure 5: The dielectric properties of _Cirrhinus microlepis_ tissues with frequency (1.0–3.0 GHz): (**a**) dielectric constant; (**b**) dielectric loss. improve the energy dissipation balance across all tissue types. Specifically, the dielectric loss of fish scales increases from 9.59 to 17.64 after the salt application, surpassing the muscle tissue's initial value of 14.22 and becoming comparable to its post-salt value of 16.20. This substantial enhancement ensures that the scales, which previously lagged in energy absorption, now receive sufficient thermal energy to target parasites such as liver flukes effectively. Similarly, the dielectric loss of fish skin increases from 10.18 to 15.92, promoting more efficient energy dissipation. The dielectric constant also increases across all tissues following salt treatment, with fish scales showing the most notable rise from 32.77 to 56.87. This enhancement reflects the improved polarization capacity of the scales, enabling them to absorb and store more electromagnetic energy. Fish muscle and skin also demonstrate increases in dielectric constant, from 25.87 to 40.88 and from 32.62 to 34.31, respectively, further supporting improved heating performance. These improvements in both dielectric loss and dielectric constant contribute to more uniform heating across all tissue types. The salt coating ensures that scales and skin, which previously absorbed less energy, now achieve sufficient thermal energy for effective parasite elimination. At the same time, the risk of overcooking the muscle is minimized, as the dielectric loss of the muscle remains within a balanced range. This balanced energy dissipation ensures a more efficient and effective dielectric heating process for _Cirrhinus microlepis_ tissues.