Differentiation of Electric Field and Thermal Effects During Pulsed Electric Field and Ohmic Heating Treatments

Abstract

Electrotechnologies such as pulsed electric fields (PEF) and ohmic heating range among the most promising alternative technologies for food preservation aiming to reduce unwanted thermal impacts during processing. As the application of an electric field may cause electroporation, cell disintegration of microorganisms or biological tissue may be obtained. In addition, the occurring electric current flow leads to a temperature increase. This is more pronounced and desired for ohmic heating treatments, being a mainly thermal processing technology, but is only acceptable to a certain extent for PEF applications directed toward non-thermal processing. In this regard, linking the obtained processing outcome and inactivation results to thermal or electric field effects is not always trivial. Thus, differentiation of these effects can help to better understand the technologies and therefore contribute to process optimization, targeting maximum efficiency and minimal deterioration of product quality.