Intensity Pulsed Electric Fields Research Articles

Histopathological follow-up by tissue micro-array in a survival study after melanoma treated by nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF)

A recent study has shown that nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) can affect the intracellular structures of melanoma within weeks. nsPEF is a non-drug, non-thermal treatment using ultrashort, intense pulsed electric fields with nanosecond durations. In the current study we followed up melanoma histopathology and metastasis with tissue micro-array 5 months post-nsPEF. After nsPEF treatment, tumor growth, tumor histology, metastasis, peri-tumor vessel and micro-vessel density were examined for the effect of nsPEF treatment on melanoma in vivo. The 17 nsPEF-treated mice were tumor-free for 169 days, significantly longer than those 19 control mice bearing melanoma without nsPEF. Histopathology follow-up showed that melanoma did not recur to the primary injection place after complete elimination. Compared with the control tumor, nsPEF-treated tumors present decreased micro-vessel density in a time-course manner in this survival study. Treatment with nsPEF caused continuous histopathological changes in melanomas, eliminated melanoma without recurrence at the primary site and prolonged animal survival time by inhibiting tumor blood supply and leading to tumor infarction. Thus, nsPEF could be applied in a non-ionizing therapeutic approach, without other agents, to locally treat tumors within a defined boundary.

Modified Blumlein Pulse-Forming Networks for Bioelectrical Applications

Intense nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) have been shown to induce, on intracellular structures, interesting effects dependent on electrical exposure conditions (pulse length and amplitude, repetition frequency and number of pulses), which are known in the literature as "bioelectrical effects" (Schoenbach et al., IEEE Trans Plasma Sci 30:293-300, 2002). In particular, pulses with a shorter width than the plasma membrane charging time constant (about 100 ns for mammalian cells) can penetrate the cell and trigger effects such as permeabilization of intracellular membranes, release of Ca(2+) and apoptosis induction. Moreover, the observed effects have led to exploration of medical applications, like the treatment of melanoma tumors (Nuccitelli et al., Biochem Biophys Res Commun 343:351-360, 2006). Pulsed electric fields allowing such effects usually range from several tens to a few hundred nanoseconds in duration and from a few to several tens of megavolts per meter in amplitude (Schoenbach et al., IEEE Trans Diel Elec Insul 14:1088-1109, 2007); however, the biological effects of subnanosecond pulses have been also investigated (Schoenbach et al., IEEE Trans Plasma Sci 36:414-422, 2008). The use of such a large variety of pulse parameters suggests that highly flexible pulse-generating systems, able to deliver wide ranges of pulse durations and amplitudes, are strongly required in order to explore effects and applications related to different exposure conditions. The Blumlein pulse-forming network is an often-employed circuit topology for the generation of high-voltage electric pulses with fixed pulse duration. An innovative modification to the Blumlein circuit has been recently devised which allows generation of pulses with variable amplitude, duration and polarity. Two different modified Blumlein pulse-generating systems are presented in this article, the first based on a coaxial cable configuration, matching microscopic slides as a pulse-delivery system, and the other based on microstrip transmission lines and designed to match cuvettes for the exposure of cell suspensions.

Impact of high intensity pulsed electric field on antioxidant properties and quality parameters of a fruit juice–soymilk beverage in chilled storage

The effects of high-intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) treatment (35 kV/cm, 4 μs bipolar pulses at 200 Hz for 800 or 1400 μs) on the microbial stability, quality parameters and antioxidant properties of a fruit juice–soymilk (FJ–SM) beverage along the storage time at 4 °C were compared to those obtained by thermal pasteurization (90 °C, 60 s). HIPEF processing for 800 μs ensured the microbial stability of the beverage during 31 days; however, longer microbial shelf-life (56 days) was achieved by increasing the treatment time to 1400 μs or by applying a thermal treatment. Peroxidase and lipoxygenase of HIPEF treated beverages were inactivated by 17.5–29% and 34–39%, respectively; whereas thermal treatment achieved 100% and 51%. During the storage, vitamin C content and antioxidant capacity depleted with time, and they were higher in FJ–SM beverages processed by HIPEF than in those thermally treated. Instead, total phenolic content of beverages did not present significant changes over the time, and it was higher in the 1400 μs-HIPEF treated beverages. In general, color, soluble solids, pH, and acidity values were not significantly affected by the processing treatments. Beverage viscosity increased over time, regardless of the treatment applied. Hence, application of HIPEF may be a good alternative treatment to thermal processing in order to ensure microbiological stability, high nutritional values and fresh-like characteristics of FJ–SM beverages.

Bioelectric Effects of Intense Ultrashort Pulses

Models for electric field interactions with biological cells predict that pulses with durations shorter than the charging time of the outer membrane can affect intracellular structures. Experimental studies in which human cells were exposed to pulsed electric fields of up to 300 kV/cm amplitude, with durations as short as 10 ns, have confirmed this hypothesis. The observed effects include the breaching of intracellular granule membranes without permanent damage to the cell membrane, abrupt rises in intracellular free calcium levels, enhanced expression of genes, cytochrome c release, and electroporation for gene transfer and drug delivery. At increased electric fields, the application of nanosecond pulses induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in biological cells, an effect that has been shown to reduce the growth of tumors. Possible applications of the intracellular electroeffects are enhancing gene delivery to the nucleus, controlling cell functions that depend on calcium release (causing cell immobilization), and treating tumors. Such nanosecond electrical pulses have been shown to successfully treat melanoma tumors by using needle arrays as pulse delivery systems. Reducing the pulse duration of intense electric field pulses even further into the subnanosecond range will allow for the use of wideband antennas to deliver the electromagnetic fields into tissue with a spatial resolution in the centimeter range. This review carefully examines the above concepts, provides a theoretical basis, and modeling results based on both continuum approaches and atomistic molecular dynamics methods. Relevant experimental data are also presented, and some of the many potential bioengineering applications discussed.

Ascorbic acid in orange juice–milk beverage treated by high intensity pulsed electric fields and its stability during storage

The degradation of ascorbic acid was determined in a ready-to-drink orange juice–milk beverage treated by high intensity pulsed electric fields (PEF). The effects of PEF treatment were compared to those of heat pasteurization (90 ºC, 20 s). Four electric field strengths (15, 25, 35, 40 kV/cm) and six treatment times for each field (from 40 µs to 700 µs) were studied. Ascorbic acid degradation was adjusted to an exponential model. The obtained ascorbic acid degradation rate constants (kE) were − 0.11·10− 3 ± 0.03·10− 3 μs− 1, − 0.23·10− 3 ± 0.07·10− 3 μs− 1, − 0.42·10− 3 ± 0.09·10− 3 μs− 1 and − 0.60·10− 3 ± 0.06·10− 3 μs− 1 for field strengths of 15, 25, 35 and 40 kV/cm, respectively. For the shelf-life study a 25 kV/cm at 280 µs treatment was applied and the beverages were stored at 4 and 10 ºC. The ascorbic acid degradation rate during storage was adjusted to zero-order kinetics showing that beverages stored at 4 ºC had better ascorbic acid retention than beverages stored at 10 °C. No significant differences were found between heat pasteurization and PEF treatments during storage. Food beverages are mainly preserved and made available to the consumer by different thermal treatments which involve a destruction of desirable food constituents such as nutrients, bioactive compounds, colour, flavour and texture. The present work demonstrates that the ascorbic acid degradation in an orange juice–milk beverage treated by pulsed electric fields was adjusted to zero-order kinetics and degradation rate during storage was adjusted to first-order kinetics. The shelf life of the orange juice–milk beverages is similar so much for the pasteurized beverages as for the treated by PEF.

Impact of PEF treatment inhomogeneity such as electric field distribution, flow characteristics and temperature effects on the inactivation of E. coli and milk alkaline phosphatase

Abstract High intensity pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment was investigated focusing on the alteration of electric field distribution, flow characteristics and temperature distribution due to the modification of the treatment chamber. The aim was the improvement of the effectiveness of microbial inactivation of E. coli and to reduce the PEF impact on alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in raw milk. Mathematical simulation of the PEF process conditions considering different treatment chamber setups was performed prior to experimental verification. Finally the impact of the treatment chamber modifications on microbial inactivation and enzyme activity was determined experimentally. Using a continuous flow-through PEF system and a co-linear treatment chamber configuration the insertion of stainless steel and polypropylene grids was performed to alter the field strength distribution, increase the turbulence kinetic energy and improve the temperature homogeneity. The Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis showed an improved electric field strength distribution with increased average electric field strength and a reduced standard deviation along the center line of the treatment zone indicating a more homogenous electric field. The velocity profile was improved resulting in an increase of turbulence kinetic energy due to the insertion of the grids. As revealed by mathematical modeling, the temperature of the liquid was decreased, and formation of temperature peaks was avoided. Measured inactivation of heat sensitive alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was reduced from 78% residual activity to 92% after PEF treatment and it could be shown that thermal effects and temperature peaks have been the main reason for enzyme inactivation due to PEF. At the same time, an increase of microbial inactivation of 0.6 log–cycles could be determined experimentally due to the modification of the treatment chamber design. Industrial relevance The application of pulsed electric field as a non-thermal pasteurization technology requires an accurately defined treatment intensity followed by a predictable microbial inactivation. Unavoidable thermal effects occurring during PEF treatment due to ohmic heating have to be minimized to assure the retention of heat-sensitive nutrients and bioactive compounds. The presented investigations contribute to the fulfilment of these requirements for further successful industrial implementation of the PEF technology such as the selective inactivation or retention of enzyme activity in liquid food systems.

Effect of high intensity pulsed electric fields on enzymes and vitamins in bovine raw milk

Pulsed electric fields (PEF) were applied to fresh bovine raw milk using a laboratory‐scale continuous PEF system to study the impact on selected native enzyme activities and on vitamin degradation. The activities of protease, lipase, alkaline phosphatase and lactoperoxidase following PEF treatment at electric field strengths ranging from 15 to 35 kV/cm for treatment times of 12.5 µs to 75 µs were examined. Reductions in enzyme activity, even under the most severe conditions employed, were quite modest, amounting to 14%, 37% and 29% for lipase, protease and alkaline phosphatase, respectively, while the activity of lactoperoxidase remained unchanged. The PEF treatment had no effect on the levels of thiamin, riboflavin, retinol and α‐tocopherol in the milk.

Carotenoid and phenolic profile of tomato juices processed by high intensity pulsed electric fields compared with conventional thermal treatments

The effect of high intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) processing (35 kV/cm for 1500 μs of overall treatment time with bipolar pulses of 4-μs at 100 Hz) and heat pasteurisation (90 °C for 30 s or 60 s) on carotenoids and phenolic compounds as well as on some quality attributes (pH, soluble solids and colour parameters) of tomato juice was evaluated and compared, having the untreated juice as a reference. Processing enhanced some carotenoids (lycopene, β-carotene and phytofluene) and the red colour of juices, whereas no significant changes in phenolic compounds, pH and soluble solids were observed between treated and untreated juices. A slight decrease in overall health-related compounds was observed over time, with the exception of some carotenoids (β-carotene and phytoene) and caffeic acid. However, HIPEF-processed tomato juices maintained higher content of carotenoids (lycopene, neurosporene and γ-carotene) and quercetin through the storage time than thermally and untreated juices. Hence, the application of HIPEF may be appropriate to achieve not only safe but also nutritious and fresh like tomato juice.

Quantification of Electroporative Uptake Kinetics and Electric Field Heterogeneity Effects in Cells

We have conducted experiments quantitatively investigating electroporative uptake kinetics of a fluorescent plasma membrane integrity indicator, propidium iodide (PI), in HL60 human leukemia cells resulting from exposure to 40μs pulsed electric fields (PEFs). These experiments were possible through the use of calibrated, real-time fluorescence microscopy and the development of a microcuvette: a specialized device designed for exposing cell cultures to intense PEFs while carrying out real-time microscopy. A finite-element electrostatic simulation was carried out to assess the degree of electric field heterogeneity between the microcuvette's electrodes allowing us to correlate trends in electroporative response to electric field distribution. Analysis of experimental data identified two distinctive electroporative uptake signatures: one characterized by low-level, decelerating uptake beginning immediately after PEF exposure and the other by high-level, accelerating fluorescence that is manifested sometimes hundreds of seconds after PEF exposure. The qualitative nature of these fluorescence signatures was used to isolate the conditions required to induce exclusively transient electroporation and to discuss electropore stability and persistence. A range of electric field strengths resulting in transient electroporation was identified for HL60s under our experimental conditions existing between 1.6 and 2kV/cm. Quantitative analysis was used to determine that HL60s experiencing transient electroporation internalized between 50 and 125million nucleic acid-bound PI molecules per cell. Finally, we show that electric field heterogeneity may be used to elicit asymmetric electroporative PI uptake within cell cultures and within individual cells.

The Effect of Intense Subnanosecond Electrical Pulses on Biological Cells

Nanosecond electrical pulses have been successfully used to treat melanoma tumors by using needle arrays as pulse delivery systems. Reducing the pulse duration of intense electric field pulses from nanoseconds into the subnanosecond range will allow us to use wideband antennas to deliver the electromagnetic fields into tissue with a spatial resolution in the centimeter range. To explore the biological effect of intense subnanosecond pulses, we have developed a generator that provides voltage pulses of 160 kV amplitude, 200 ps rise time, and 800 ps pulse width. The pulses are delivered to a cylindrical Teflon chamber with polished flat electrodes at either end. The distance between the electrodes is variable and allows us to generate electric fields of up to 1 MV/cm in cell suspensions. The pulses have been applied to B16 (murine melanoma) cells, and the plasma membrane integrity was studied by means of trypan blue exclusion. For pulse amplitudes of 550 kV/cm, approximately 50% of the cells took up trypan blue right after pulsing, whereas only 20% were taking it up after 1 h. This indicates that the plasma membrane in a majority of the cells affected by the pulses recovers with a time constant of about 1 h. The cells that show trypan blue uptake after this time suffer cell death through apoptosis. Evaluation of the experimental results and molecular dynamics modeling results indicate that with a pulse duration of 800 ps, membrane charging and nanopore formation are the dominant bioelectric effects on B16 cells. This information has been used in a continuum model to estimate the increase in membrane permeability and, consequently, the increase in pore size caused by repetitive pulsing.

Optimization of betulin extraction process from Inonotus Obliquus with pulsed electric fields

Abstract In this work, the extraction of betulin from Inonotus Obliquus applying high intensity pulsed electric fields (PEF) was studied. To extract non-polar compound, 75% ethanol solution was used. The effect of PEF on betulin yield was discussed compared with conventional extracting method. A set of optimal parameters (PEF strength = 40 kV/cm, pulse number = 2, ethanol concentration = 75%, and solid-to-solvent ratio = 1:25) were tested and analyzed. Industrial relevance Results of this study show that pulsed electric fields can be used to extract non-polar compound from plant origin raw material, such as Chinese herbal medicine, with easy-to-use equipment, materials and shorter extracting time compared with conventional methods.

Changes of health-related compounds throughout cold storage of tomato juice stabilized by thermal or high intensity pulsed electric field treatments

Abstract The effect of high intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) processing (35 kV/cm for 1500 μs in bipolar 4-μs pulses at 100 Hz, with an energy density of 8269 kJ/L) on the main bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of tomato juice was investigated and compared to heat pasteurization (90 °C for 1 min or 30 s) having the fresh juice as a reference. HIPEF and heat treated tomato juices showed higher lycopene and lower vitamin C levels than the untreated juice. However, no significant changes in the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were observed between treated and fresh juices just after processing. Lycopene, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity of both treated and untreated juices decreased exponentially during storage following a first order kinetics ( R 2 = 0.763–0.987), whereas tomato juices maintained their initial phenolic content. HIPEF-treated tomato juice maintained higher lycopene and vitamin C content than the thermally treated juices during the storage time. Hence, the application of HIPEF may be appropriate to achieve nutritious and fresh like tomato juice. Industrial relevance HIPEF processing can lead to tomato juice with higher nutritional value than that thermally processed. HIPEF-treated (35 kV/cm for 1500 μs with 4-μs bipolar pulses at 100 Hz, energy input of 8269 kJ/L) tomato juice shows greater lycopene, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity just after the treatment and during the storage time than heat treated (90 °C­30 s and 90 °C­60 s) tomato juice. Therefore, HIPEF technology is a feasible alternative to thermal treatment to obtain tomato juice with a high presence of health-related compounds.

Comparative study on color, viscosity and related enzymes of tomato juice treated by high-intensity pulsed electric fields or heat

The effects of high intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) processing (35 kV/cm for 1,500 μs using bipolar 4-μs pulses at 100 Hz) on color parameters and viscosity, as well as peroxidase (POD), pectin methylesterase (PME) and polygalacturonase (PG), were evaluated during 77 days of storage at 4 °C and compared to thermal treatments at 90 °C for 1 min or 30 s for unprocessed tomato juice. HIPEF-treated tomato juice showed higher values of lightness than the thermally processed and the untreated juice throughout storage time (P < 0.05). Viscosity of HIPEF-treated tomato juice was also greater than both thermally treated and untreated for the first 35 days of storage. POD of HIPEF-treated tomato juice was inactivated by 97% whereas in the case of the thermally treated, 90 and 79% inactivation was achieved after 1 min and 30 s, respectively. The highest PME inactivation in tomato juice was obtained by PEF (82%) and heat treatment at 90 °C for 1 min (96%). PG of PEF-treated tomato juice was inactivated by 12% whereas thermal treatments at 90 °C for 1 min or 30 s achieved 44 and 22%, respectively. Despite the low rates of PG inactivation obtained, the pattern followed in the residual activity along the storage time was similar in the tomato juice treated by HIPEF than the thermally processed.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation and a case report of intense nanosecond pulsed electric field as a local therapy for human malignancies

When delivered to cells, very short duration, high electric field pulses (nanoelectropulses) induce primarily intracellular events. We present evidence that this emerging modality may have a role as a local cancer therapy. Five hematologic and 16 solid tumor cell lines were pulsed in vitro. Hematologic cells proved particularly sensitive to nanoelectropulses, with more than a 60% decrease in viable cells measured by MTT assay 96 hr after pulsing in 4 of 5 cell lines. In solid tumor cell lines, 10 out of 16 cell lines had more than a 10% decrease in viable cells. AsPC-1, a pancreatic cancer cell line, demonstrated the greatest in vitro sensitivity among solid tumor cell lines, with a 64% decrease in viable cells. When nanoelectropulse therapy was applied to AsPC-1 tumors in athymic nude mice, responses were seen in 4 of 6 tumors, including clinical complete responses in 3 of 6 animals. A single human subject applied nanoelectropulse therapy to his own basal cell carcinoma and had a complete pathologic response. In summary, we demonstrate that electric pulses 20 ns or less kill a wide variety of human cancer cells in vitro, induce tumor regression in vivo, and show efficacy in a single human patient. Therefore, nanoelectropulse therapy deserves further study as a potentially effective cancer therapy.

Optimization and validation of PEF processing conditions to inactivate oxidative enzymes of grape juice

White grape juice was processed using high intensity pulsed electric fields (PEF). The effect of this preservative technology on polyphenoloxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) as well as on refractometric index, sugar content, pH, acidity and density was studied. In addition, the use of the response surface methodology as a tool to obtain accurate information and provide predictions of enzymatic depletion on real foods was assessed. The studied PEF factors were electric field strength, pulse frequency, pulse width and total treatment time. Inactivation values of 100% for PPO and up to 50% for POD were achieved after different PEF treatments. The activity depletion was strongly dependent on the evaluated factors, mainly PEF treatment time. A predictive equation for each residual activity covering the whole range of experimentation was developed and their results were confirmed against a set of validation experiments. In addition, predictions obtained from the developed response surfaces and exponential kinetic models were comparable. In conclusion, PEF treatments depleted PPO and POD activities of grape juice although it was observed that grape POD was less sensible than PPO to PEF technology. Response surface methodology allows analysing and optimizing the PEF treatments as well as predicting their results with very few experiments.

Effect of Process Parameters on Solute Centrifugal Extraction from Electropermeabilized Carrot Gratings

The solute aqueous centrifugal extraction from carrot gratings was investigated through the effect of some process parameters (centrifugal acceleration, solution temperature and liquid to solid ratio). The carrot gratings were treated by a pulsed electric field (PEF) (670 V cm −1 and 300 pulses of 100 μs) and then subjected to an aqueous centrifugal extraction (accelerations from 14 × g to 5434 × g) at temperatures in the range 18–35°C. The effect of carrot tissue mild preheating (30–50°C) before PEF was also investigated. The increase of centrifugal acceleration up to 150 × g enhances extraction kinetics. The solute concentration then reaches 96% after 25 min of extraction at room temperature or after 15 min of extraction at 35°C. However, any further increase in centrifugal acceleration does not provide more acceleration of extraction. A tissue preheating at 50°C allowed an easier electrical permea-bilisation of cell membranes at lower PEF intensity (300 V cm −1) and shorter PEF extent (30 pulses). A maximum solute yield is then obtained. The kinetics of centrifugal aqueous extraction was described by a single exponential model.

High intensity pulsed electric fields applied for food preservation

Preservation of liquid foods by high intensity pulsed electric fields (PEF) is an interesting alternative to traditional techniques like thermal pasteurization. Based on the underlying mechanism of action, in this paper the crucial process parameters electrical field strength, total pulse energy input and treatment temperature were investigated experimentally. Inactivation studies were performed with three bacteria ( E. coli, Bacillus megaterium, Listeria innocua) and one yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Stainless steel and carbon electrodes have been tested to investigate their applicability as electrode material. Simulating the influence of cell size and orientation as well as the presence of agglomerations or insulating particles indicated that the applied field strength has to be increased above the critical one to achieve product safety. It was found that temperatures higher than 40 °C can strongly increase the lethality of the PEF process. In this way also small cells like Listeria are easily affected by pulsed fields even at a field strength as low as 16 kV cm −1. In addition, heating of the product prior to PEF has the advantage that most of the required process energy can be recovered using heat exchangers. Exemplary, such a process is analyzed by an enthalpy balance.

Changes of colour and carotenoids contents during high intensity pulsed electric field treatment in orange juices

Liquid chromatography (LC) was the method chosen to evaluate the effects of high intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF), with different electric field intensities (25, 30, 35 and 40 kV/cm) and different treatment times (30–340 μs), on orange juice cis/ trans carotenoid contents. In parallel, a conventional heat treatment (90 °C, 20 s) was applied to the orange juice in order to compare the effect on the carotenoid contents. HIPEF processing of orange juice is an alternative to the thermal treatment of pasteurization, provided that it is kept refrigerated, because, when the most extreme conditions of this kind of treatment are applied, the decrease in the concentration of carotenoids with vitamin A activity is very small, and also most of the carotenoids identified have a slightly increased concentration after application of the most intense treatments, although always less than in untreated fresh juice. In any case, pasteurization treatment causes a greater decrease in the concentration of most of the carotenoids identified and the carotenoids with vitamin A activity. The total carotenoid concentration decreased by 12.6% in pasteurized orange juice with respect to untreated fresh orange juice, as opposed to decreases of 9.6%, 6.3% or 7.8% when fields of 25, 30 or 40 kV/cm were applied. Orange juice treated with HIPEF shows a greater tendency towards the colour yellow and a lesser tendency towards red with respect to untreated orange juice, while the luminance of the juice remains practically invariable. This tendency is less than in pasteurized orange juice.

Effects of high intensity pulsed electric field processing conditions on vitamin C and antioxidant capacity of orange juice and gazpacho, a cold vegetable soup

Orange juice and gazpacho, a cold vegetable soup, were submitted to high intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF). The effects of electric field strength, treatment time, pulse frequency, width and polarity, as process parameters, on vitamin C retention and antioxidant capacity of both products were evaluated and compared to those in a heat pasteurization. Vitamin C was determined by HPLC and antioxidant capacity through the inhibition of the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical. Orange juice and gazpacho retained a 87.5–98.2% and 84.3–97.1% of vitamin C, respectively, after HIPEF treatments. Pulses applied in bipolar mode, as well as a lower electric field strength, treatment time, pulse frequency and width, led to higher levels of vitamin C retention ( p < 0.05). HIPEF-treated orange juice and gazpacho always showed a vitamin C retention higher than that of the heat-pasteurized products. There were no differences ( p < 0.05) in antioxidant capacity between HIPEF-treated and untreated products, whereas heat-treated foods showed lower values of antioxidant capacity.

A novel protecting method for visual green color in spinach puree treated by high intensity pulsed electric fields

Green vegetables is easily to lose green color during processing and storage. In this paper a novel high intensity pulsed electric field (PEF) technique is applied to process spinach puree with dissoluble zinc salt. Various experimental conditions of the PEF process, such as water-soluble Zn 2+ ion concentration (20–200 ppm), electric field strength (20–100 kV/cm) and storing temperature (25 °C and 37 °C), were investigated to optimize the process. Result shows: PEF method can increase the stability of chlorophyll by way of increasing electric fields, adding zinc ion and stabilizers. Spinach puree treated by PEF with acetate zinc below 75 ppm can be stored for a long time at room temperature, and visual green color in spinach puree treated by PEF (25 °C, several nanoseconds) can reach the similar effect of the thermal processing (121 °C, 60 min). From the viewpoints of energy, flavor and vegetable quality and process time, this method is more effective than thermal processing.