High-Voltage Pulsed Electric Fields

With increasing demand to obtain processed foods with better attributes than have been available to date, food researchers have pursued the discovery and development of improved preservation processes with minimal impact on the fresh taste, texture, and nutritional value of food products. Different processed food products may present a series of undesirable effects when treated by conventional, thermal methods of pasteurization. Alternatives to traditional treatment which do not involve direct heat have been investigated in order to obtain safe processed food products, but with sensory attributes resembling those of the fresh raw material. Several processing techniques have been investigated recently and include ultraviolet irradiation, gamma irradiation, ultrasound treatment, treatment with non-conventional chemical reagents, application of high-intensity magnetic fields, ultra-high-pressure processing (HPP), use of membrane technology, and application of high-voltage pulsed electric fields (PEFs). Commercial applications of some alternative technologies are varied and include purification of water, pasteurization of fruit juices, and processing of milk. Application of these non-thermal technologies offers interesting opportunities for mildly processed safe products with preserved sensory and nutritional qualities. Although non-thermal technologies such as PEFs have been demonstrated to have some advantages over the conventional thermal technologies, they have only recently started gaining interest in the food industry.