Microwave Heating System Research Articles

Inactivation of foodborne pathogens on fruit juice with different solid contents by using pilot-scale 915 MHz microwave heating system

Inactivation of foodborne pathogens on fruit juice with different solid contents by using pilot-scale 915 MHz microwave heating system

A Safe Fiber-Optic-Sensor-Assisted Industrial Microwave-Heating System.

Industrial microwave-heating systems are pivotal in various sectors, including food processing and materials manufacturing, where precise temperature control and safety are critical. Conventional systems often struggle with uneven heat distribution and high fire risks due to the intrinsic properties of microwave heating. In this work, a fiber-optic-sensor-assisted monitoring system is presented to tackle the pressing challenges associated with uneven heating and fire hazards in industrial microwave systems. The core innovation lies in the development of a sophisticated fiber-optic 2D temperature distribution sensor and a dedicated fire detector, both designed to significantly mitigate risks and optimize the heating process. Experimental results set the stage for future innovations that could transform the landscape of industrial heating technologies toward better process quality.

Improvement of microwave heating efficiency by parabolic concentrator

The conventional microwave heating reaction cavity has deficiency of low heating efficiency, which will waste energy and even burn the microwave source and equipment. Therefore, to improve the heating efficiency will save energy and protect the microwave device. In this article, without changing the original heating reaction cavity, a parabolic wave concentrator is proposed to improve the heating efficiency of the microwave heating system. The first part of the article introduces the design and principle of the microwave wave concentrator and describes the control equation of microwave heating and the input parameters of the cavity. In the second part, based on the finite element method calculation, four feeding modes (single, dual, side, and inclined feed port) are simulated to verify the heating efficiency improvement after adding the wave concentrator. Finally, a microwave heating reaction cavity with an inclined feed port is built and used to carry out experiments, which validate the simulation results. The simulation and experiment results show that adding the wave concentrator has greatly improved the heating efficiency.

Control of thermal uniformity in microwave heating process by BPNN and adaptive particle swarm optimization

As China advances its green economy, innovative methods are being employed to enhance energy optimization and conservation within energy-intensive industries. Among these methods, microwave heating stands out due to its superior heating efficiency and lack of pollution. Nonetheless, uniform heating remains a challenge because the microwave absorption capacity of the heated medium varies with changes in heating time and temperature. To address this issue, an Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization (APSO) neural network microwave system based on the Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) is proposed. This system leverages the fundamental principles of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), categorizing particle swarms into three types and iterating them through distinct processes to achieve optimal results. An APSO controller is designed based on system identification, adjusting the controller parameters according to the error between the real-time system output and the identification model. The feedback error is used as the fitness function in the PSO algorithm, continuously adjusting the weights and thresholds of the neural network. This intelligent control approach optimizes the microwave oven's input power to minimize the error between the actual temperature output and the identified temperature. The APSO controller is designed based on system identification, with the intelligently controlled microwave heating system adjusting its input power to minimize the error between the identified and actual temperature outputs. Unlike traditional Proportional Integral Differential (PID) and BPNN controllers, this approach calculates the output of the identified model and the error of the actual model, feeding this information back to the controller. The feedback error serves as the fitness function in the PSO algorithm, enabling continuous adjustment of the network's weights and thresholds to regulate the microwave equipment's output power, thereby ensuring the output temperature closely follows the preset temperature curve. Experimental results demonstrate that the actual output value of the system closely aligns with the original preset temperature curve, with a root mean square error of only 0.74. This designed identification and control system effectively achieves the desired outcome.

A High-Performance Microwave Heating Device Based on a Coaxial Structure

Continuous-flow microwave heating stands out for its ability to rapidly and uniformly heat substances, making it widely applicable in chemical production. However, in practical applications, the permittivity of the heated liquid changes dramatically as the reaction progresses, affecting the efficiency and uniformity of continuous-flow heating. Herein, this work presents a novel microwave heating device based on a coaxial structure for high-performance heating. Our approach commenced with the development of a multiphysical field model, incorporating spiraled polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a water channel and the coaxial waveguide as a container. The analysis shows that the uniform distribution of the sectional electric field of electromagnetic waves in the TEM mode within the coaxial structure can enhance heating uniformity. Then, a continuous-flow microwave heating system for different liquid loads was established, and experimental measurements were conducted. The heating efficiency for all loads exceeded 90%, which basely matched the simulation results, validating the accuracy of the model. Finally, the heating efficiency and uniformity under different permittivity loads were analyzed, as well as the impact of channel radius on heating efficiency. The device exhibits high heating efficiency under different loads, with uniform radial electric field distribution and stable heating uniformity. This continuous-flow microwave device is suitable for chemical research and production because of its high adaptability to the large dynamic range of permittivity, contributing to the promotion of microwave energy applications in the chemical industry.

Artificial Intelligence Applied to Microwave Heating Systems: Prediction of Temperature Profile through Convolutional Neural Networks

Microwave heating, which is caused by the interaction of electromagnetic radiation and materials, has become an important component in industrial operations across numerous industries. Despite their importance, conventional numerical simulations of microwave heating are computationally intensive. Concurrently, advances in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning algorithms, have transformed data processing by increasing accuracy while decreasing computational time. This study tackles the difficulty of efficient and accurate modelling in microwave heating by combining convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with traditional simulation techniques. The major goal of this research is to use CNNs to forecast temperature profiles in a variety of industrial materials, including susceptors, semi-transparent, and microwave-transparent materials, under varying power settings and heating periods. This unique strategy greatly reduces prediction times, with up to 60-fold speed increases over standard methods. Our research is based on examining the electromagnetic and thermal responses of these materials under microwave heating. This study’s findings emphasise the need for extensive datasets and show the transformational potential of CNNs in optimising material processing. It uses artificial intelligence to pave the way for more effective and exact simulations, supporting breakthroughs in industrial microwave heating applications.

Porous-multilayered Ti3C2Tx MXene hybrid carbon foams for tunable and efficient electromagnetic wave absorption

The rapid development of modern wireless communication technology makes electromagnetic wave pollution increasingly serious, necessitating the development of high-performance electromagnetic wave-absorbing materials. This study introduces a Ti3C2Tx MXene hybrid carbon foam (HCF) that exhibits a tunable and efficient electromagnetic wave absorption performance. The HCF features a porous, multilayered structure, which enhances its multi-reflection properties, and a heterogeneous interface between the carbon foam and MXene boosting its dielectric loss. By regulating the content of MXene, the ratio of polarization loss to conduction loss can be regulated to achieve better impedance matching. As a result, the HCF demonstrated superb electromagnetic wave absorption performance with RLmin = −72.25 dB and EABmax = 6.55 GHz. Furthermore, the minimum absorption frequency domain could be tuned within 8–14 GHz by varying the MXene content. The performance in radar wave absorption and electromagnetic-thermal conversion (ramp rate 85.81 °C/s from RT to 200 °C) proves that HCF is an efficient and reliable electromagnetic wave absorber, suitable for radar technology, microwave heating, and communication systems applications.

Multi-physical field coupling modeling of microwave heating and reduction behavior of zinc oxide

Microwave heating provides a cleaner pyrometallurgical method for separating zinc from electric arc furnace dust (EAFD, a solid waste generated during steel production with excellent dielectric properties). Despite its undisputed heating efficiency, the impact of microwave heating characteristics on the zinc removal process from EAFD remains unclear. This paper focuses on ZnO, one of the primary components of EAFD, and develops an electromagnetic-thermal-chemical reaction model to analyze the effects of microwave power and graphite addition on heating behavior, reduction reactions, field distributions, and reaction kinetics. The results indicate that the heat generated from the interaction between microwaves and materials exhibits inherent non-uniformity, leading to the localized thermal effect and making the error of general temperature measurement methods. Increasing microwave power and adding graphite enhance heating efficiency and promote the reduction reaction but also result in significant internal-external temperature disparity and worse temperature distribution. At 1000 W, with 1.2 times the stoichiometric amount of graphite addition, the temperature measurement error reaches approximately 200 °C, potentially affecting the kinetic results to a certain degree. The non-isothermal kinetics results from simulations indicate that the localized thermal region exhibits a lower average activation energy of 47.5 kJ/mol compared to experimental results, suggesting that the lower activation energy of the ZnO reduction reaction during microwave heating is primarily caused by the localized thermal effect rather than the non-thermal effect. Additionally, in the energy distribution, the higher proportion of return loss during heating underscores the importance of a well-designed microwave heating system.

Measuring Dielectric Properties of MARDI 76 (MRQ76) Rice at the Frequency of 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz

The microwave heating system has been widely used in the food processing and postharvest handling of rice. However, to develop efficient heating energy for the heating and drying process, the knowledge of permittivity or dielectric properties of the MARDI 76 (MRQ76) rice is quite important. The penetration and power dissipation of microwave inside the MARDI 76 (MRQ76) rice is strongly dependent on its dielectric properties or permittivity. Furthermore, characterisation of changes in permittivity or dielectric properties of MARDI 76 rice at elevated temperatures is essential for designing the microwave heating device and system. The permittivity or dielectric properties of MARDI 76 rice (MRQ76) were measured using Agilent open-ended coaxial-line probe and Agilent E5071C Network Analyser. The temperature of the MRQ 76 rice sample was regulated using a WiswCircu Circulator Water bath between temperatures of 27ºC to 70ºC. MARDI MRQ 76 rice sample was placed into the temperature-controlled stainless steel sample holder with water jacket assembly which was designed for permittivity measurement at different temperatures. The effect of temperature on dielectric properties of MARDI 76 rice, power dissipation and penetration depth of microwave radiation at the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) heating frequency of 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz was assessed. Results indicated that both dielectric constant and dielectric loss of MARDI 76 rice samples increased with increasing temperature. Power dissipation of microwave radiation inside MARDI 76 rice increases with an increase in temperature. On the other hand, the penetration depth of microwave radiation into the MARDI 76 rice decreased with the increase in temperature. The result of this study shows dielectric properties and heating temperature of MARDI MRQ 76 rice play an important role in designing the microwave heating system for MARDI MRQ 76 rice.

Microwave heating system for CuFe2O4/rGO/PMS enhanced catalytic-oxidative pre-treatment, water, and salt recovery from reverse osmosis reject of textile industry effluent

Microwave (MW) heating mechanism was investigated for reverse osmosis (RO) reject management of real textile effluent, i.e., pre-treatment, water, and salt recovery. For pre-treatment, microwave-induced catalytic degradation (MICD) enhanced with CuFe2O4/rGO for PMS activation was applied for organics degradation. The synthesized CuFe2O4/rGO (average particle size ∼16.44 nm) was characterized for XRD, SEM with EDAX, FTIR, VSM and TGA. MICD (1 g/L catalyst (80 %:20 %), 400 mg/L PMS, 90℃ MW temperature, 450 W MW power, and pH 11.32) showed 100 % color, 80.4 % TOC, and 91.1 % COD reduction within 16 min of MW irradiation. Radical quenching studies and EPR analysis revealed that SO4•− and ⦁OH were the dominant reactive species followed by non-radical O21. Recyclability study of CuFe2O4/rGO showed 72 % color, 65 % TOC, and 71.4 % COD removal after 5 cycles. XRD and FTIR of reused CuFe2O4/rGO hold similar crystallinity and structural properties as fresh catalyst. ATR-FTIR spectrum of before and after degradation of RO reject showed considerable degradation of organic dye molecules. Subsequently, the MW heating system was optimized for water recovery (110℃ MW temperature, 700 W MW power, and 100 mL reject volume), showing 100 % water recovery within 6 min, and its characterization showed a high distillate purity. NaCl and Na2SO4 salts were recovered under different MW operating temperatures, exploiting solubility equilibrium, and characterized for XRD, SEM with EDAX, and PSA.

RETRACTED: Optimizing microwave energy utilization & heating efficiency: Comparative analysis of susceptor materials for enhanced microwave absorption performance

Susceptors are vital components in microwave heating systems, ensuring efficient, selective, and uniform heating while improving both energy utilization and time effectiveness in various microwave processing applications. The present investigation underlines the microwave absorption performance of various silicon carbide (SiC) susceptors during microwave hybrid heating. The current study also explores methods, including theoretical analysis, simulations, and experiments, to identify most suitable SiC susceptor materials for efficient microwave heating (high microwave absorbing and energy utilization efficiency). Among all susceptor materials, porous nitride-bonded SiC exhibited combination of high properties including permittivity (9.64), loss tangent (0.268), reflection loss (−13.32 dB) and attenuation constant (21.12 Np/m) when microwave heating carried at 1.2 kW, 900 s. Porous nitride-bonded SiC susceptor emerged as optimal choice for most appropriate susceptor material on the basis of theoretical analysis (reflection loss, impedance, microwave attenuation constant, dielectric properties) as compared to other susceptors. The microwave absorption mechanism of various SiC susceptor materials have been established and summarized. The microwave heating behaviour of various SiC susceptors with different compositions were analysed using COMSOL simulations. A higher microwave utilization efficiency was observed by COMSOL simulation for the porous nitride-bonded SiC (95 %) susceptor than dense nitride-bonded SiC (78 %), dense SiC (69 %) and dense oxide-bonded SiC (58 %). The excellent microwave absorption capability of porous nitride-bonded SiC susceptor can be ascribed to synergistic efforts of various polarization mechanisms: dipole polarization, interfacial polarization, multiple reflections and scatterings, defect-induced dipole polarization and conductive loss.

Microwave absorption, thermal and mechanical properties of amorphous nano carbon doped aluminium nitride composite ceramics

Low-cost amorphous nano-carbon (ANC) was employed as an absorbent to modify the microwave performance of AlN ceramics (AlN-4 wt% Y2O3-x wt% C, x = 0, 2.0, 3.8, 3.9, 4.0) via hot-pressing sintering, and the thermal and mechanical properties were also investigated. With the increase of ANC content from 0 to 4.0 wt%, the relative density of AlN composite decreases from 3.28 g cm−3 to 3.16 g cm−3 when sintered at 1800 °C for 2 h, and with the increase of sintering temperature from 1700 °C, the density of the 4.0 wt% ANC doped AlN composite presents trend of increase and reaches the maximum value of 3.16 g cm−3 at 1800 °C and then decreases. The XRD pattern shows that the composites are composed of AlN and Y–Al–O (YAG, YAP, YAM et al.) phases. SEM results indicate that average grain sizes for AlN and secondary phases gradually decrease with increasing carbon content, suggesting inhibited grain growth due to ANC addition. No obvious changes in phase constitution nor intensity changes were detected with the increase in carbon content and sintering temperature. As the carbon content increases from 0 to 4.0 wt%, the dielectric constant gradually increases from ∼9 to 13.89 at 10 GHz, the dielectric loss gradually increases from the vicinity of 10−3 to 0.38 at 10 GHz, and the reflective loss decreases from −27.92 dB to −49.40 dB, the thermal conductivity of the AlN-ANC composite decreases from 116.63 W m−1 K−1 to 50.13 W m−1 K−1. In addition, with 4.0 wt% ANC addition, the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, reflective loss, hardness, elastic modulus, bending strength, and fracture toughness are 13.89, 0.38, 49.40 dB, 6.4 ± 0.4 GPa, 262 GPa, 268.78 MPa, and 1.4 ± 0.1 MPa m1/2, respectively. Its ability to efficiently absorb microwave energy enhances the performance of devices including radar systems, communication equipment, and microwave heating systems, making it a promising candidate for microwave vacuum electronic applications.

Numerical investigation of heat transfer and temperature distribution in a Microwave-Heated Heli-Flow reactor and experimental validation

Microwave-heated flow systems (MWFSs), offering improved process control, enhanced product yields, and the potential for scalable and sustainable manufacturing routes, have gained significant popularity in continuously manufacturing nanomaterials and their hybrids. Temperature control in a microwave zone can maintain fine control over the manufactured materials' properties; however, the current state-of-the-art designs lack monitoring of the temperature distribution throughout the flow reactor. Herein, a unique model of numerical estimations of temperature distribution in a microwave-heated system featuring a helical flow milli-reactor, Heli-Flow, is described and validated by experimentally acquired temperature profiles. The proposed numerical model accurately predicts the temperature profile along the Heli-Flow and the steady-state outlet temperature at the MW cavity's exit. The helical design of the reactor promotes homogeneous heating and eliminates orientation-related discrepancies. The maximum outlet temperatures achieved at different microwave powers and FRs align well with expected trends. The modeled temperatures closely match the experimental and analytical measurements, indicating the effectiveness of the simulation approach. This research contributes to understanding temperature distribution in MWFSs and offers insights for optimizing nanomaterial synthesis and other applications.

A coupled electromagnetic and heat transfer model for casket designing for efficient microwave heating: An insight from theoretical analysis, Multiphysics simulation, and experimental investigations

Microwave heating is extensively used in several industries due to its advantageous capabilities such as volumetric heating, reduced processing time and less energy consumption as compared to conventional heating. Refractory casket insulation is primarily used in microwave heating systems for the purposes of insulation and effective microwave transmission. This investigation aims to provide knowledge and insights for selecting suitable high-temperature refractory insulating casket materials, particularly focusing on three different types: dense alumina, dense alumina-silica, and porous alumina-silica casket. The investigation involves evaluating the microwave transmission efficiency (PTC) and insulation resistance capability of the three casket materials concerning their dielectric and thermophysical properties at varying temperatures. Among three casket materials, porous alumina-silica casket showed a significantly lower values of dielectric constant (1.50 to 1.68), loss tangent (0.000086–0.00318) and thermal conductivity (0.26 W/m·K to 0.50 W/m·K) over the entire temperature range. Consequently, the porous alumina-silica casket exhibited superior insulation and PTC (0.9997 to 0.9876) during microwave heating. The heating phenomenon of each casket material has been established. The COMSOL Multiphysics model was used to analyze the microwave heating behavior of SiC susceptor with varying casket composition and geometry under similar parameters for the first time. A higher heating rate was observed by COMSOL simulation for the porous alumina-silica (58.8 °C/ min) casket than dense alumina-silica (22.31 °C/ min) and dense alumina (9.63 °C/min) casket during microwave heating of SiC susceptor at 1200 W, 1500 s. The COMSOL simulation data were corroborated with experimental results. The study serves a general guideline to select an appropriate casket material for any microwave processing.

Improving microwave heating uniformity of spherical objects by wrapping optimized dielectrics

As a green and efficient heating technology, microwave heating has shown its superiority in many fields. However, hot spots widely exist when heating spherical objects which may lead to overheated damages. In this work, a method of designing dielectrics for wrapping spherical objects is proposed to reduce hot spots in microwave heating. Firstly, a comprehensive model based on the geometrical optics is proposed to analyze the hot spot formation in the spherical object. Secondly, a multi-physics model based on the finite element method is built to simulate the heating process of the spherical object wrapped by the dielectric in an electrically large cavity with moving elements. The optimal shape and relative permittivity of the dielectric are determined by the simulations. Finally, a cuboid alumina ceramic with a dimension of 70 mm × 80 mm × 150 mm and a relative permittivity of 9.2 is customized according to the simulation results to wrap the spherical object. The experiment results measured in a practical microwave heating system are in good agreement with the simulation results. Both the simulation and experiment show that the proposed method can efficiently reduce the hot spot and significantly improve the heating uniformity.

Multiphysics modelling of constant power microwave heating of model juice

Constant power microwave heating (CPMH) based on solid-state generators, a new microwave heating system, shows better repeatability than traditional microwave heating (TMH) powered by magnetron when performing experiments, while its detailed heating patterns and field distribution are still not fully understood. In this study, numerical simulations for model juice (about 1–5 mL) heated by CPMH and TMH systems were carried out to compare the heating performance. The simulation was performed through coupling electromagnetic, thermal and fluid fields, using a laminar flow model to simulate the flow behaviour of the model juice during the heating operation. Both surface temperature distributions and inner point temperatures were investigated for model validation, and the simulated data agreed well with the experimental ones, indicating that the modelling was rational and correct. Results showed that CPMH gave higher heating efficiency and better temperature uniformity, which was verified by determining both inner point temperature and surface temperature distribution. Besides, influences of sample volume and microwave input power on the heating performance of the CPMH system were studied, suggesting that greater sample volume could cause worse temperature uniformity, although a faster temperature increase was observed. When fixing total microwave input energy to 3 kJ, different input powers were found to achieve similar final average volumetric temperatures (50.46 °C–51.22 °C) but significantly different heating uniformity (final coefficient of temperature variance: 0.065–0.115), indicating that smaller microwave input power could contribute to better heating uniformity. It is hoped that this study could provide references to further understand the heating effects of CPMH systems, leading to better design and upgrade for microwave heating systems.

Continuous-flow microwave heating system with high efficiency and uniformity for liquid food

Continuous-flow microwave heating has good potential in liquid food processing. Efficiency and uniformity of continuous-flow heating are critical to processing results. During continuous-flow heating, the dielectric constant of the liquid varies with increasing temperature, and the efficiency and uniformity of continuous-flow heating are compromised under significant dynamic variations in the dielectric constant of the liquid. To address these issues, this paper proposes a continuous-flow microwave heating system based on a coaxial inner conductor structure. First, a multiphysics model was developed, the parameter of the continuous-flow heating system is optimised so that the load effectively absorbs electromagnetic waves, and the heating uniformity can be enhanced due to the uniform cross-sectional electric field distribution of TEM mode in the coaxial structure. Second, experiments were performed to validate the proposed model, and the results were in good agreement with the simulation. The heating efficiency under varying dielectric constants (from 10 to 80) and loss angle tangents (from 0.1 to 0.5) of the liquid was above 90%. Then, the proposed system is compared with multimode cavity and system without waveguide coaxial conversion structure, and the proposed system is more efficient for liquid with different dielectric constants. Next, a section of metal bar was added to the center of the glass tube and the influence of the metal bar on heating effect was analysed. With the addition of the metal bar, the efficiency of the system in heating a low-dielectric-constant liquid could be effectively improved, and the heating uniformity could be increased by more than 30%. Finally, the proposed system was applied to heat liquid food and the results indicated that all of liquid food materials' efficiency larger than 90%. The continuous-flow microwave system provides the possibility for large-scale industrial production.

An integrated numerical and analytical model to understand the effect of relative phase in a dual-port solid-state microwave heating process

The utilization of multi-port solid-state microwave heating systems presents promise in improving heating performance but lacks a deep understanding of the effect of source phase difference. This study developed an integrated numerical and analytical approach that allows efficient modeling and a better understanding of multi-mode wave interactions with source phase differences. First, two numerical models simulated the complex electric fields of individual-port microwave heating processes. The simulated nodal electric fields were used as inputs in the analytical model to predict the resultant power dissipation for dual-port heating with arbitrary source phase differences. The integrated approach was validated by comparing the predicted nodal electric field and power densities with numerical modeling results. The phase-dependent nodal and volumetric average power revealed wave-like patterns with great variances. The constructive, destructive, and interference effects were influenced by the source phase differences, emphasizing the importance of proper control of source phases for efficient and uniform heating.

High-efficiency and compact microwave heating system for liquid in a mug

The demand for efficient and compact heating for dynamic dielectric liquid has grown significantly. Compared with traditional heating, microwave heating has the advantages of being fast and efficient. Moreover, the demand for outdoor portable heating and industrial compact heating is increasing. To address this limitation, this study proposes a compact heating system based on a metamaterial-based circular waveguide. First, asymmetric propagation theory is introduced, and an asymmetric propagation circular waveguide is designed in detail according to the discretisation of the relative permittivity. Then, a multi-physics model using a circular waveguide and a mug for high heating efficiency is developed by coupling Maxwell's equations and the heat transfer equation. Furthermore, heating experiments are performed for liquids with different relative permittivity and the experimental results consistently validated an efficiency rate of over 88 %, which agrees with the simulation results. Finally, the effects of the dielectric properties of the material and mug on the heating efficiency are discussed to highlight the robustness of the proposed heating system, with heating efficiency consistently maintained at 75 % or higher. In summary, the proposed design features a compact structure that is suitable for practical microwave heating applications.

Continuous flow microwave processing of liquid whole egg: Pasteurization and functional characteristics evaluation

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of continuous flow microwave processing on the pasteurization efficiency and quality attributes of liquid whole egg (LWE). The heating section was accomplished using microwave, while the holding section utilized a water bath, and the process parameters were determined by a developed numerical model. The inactivation kinetics of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella Enteritidis were evaluated at three temperatures (56, 60 and 64 °C) and two power-density (8 and 16 W/mL with different flow rates). A 5-log10 reduction was achieved and the Weibull model fitting the survival data well, which contributed to the optimization of microwave pasteurization process. Additionally, microwave promoted the transitions of secondary structures from β-sheet to α-helix and stabilised the system by enhancing the zeta potential value, further improving the emulsifying and foaming properties. The major proteins in LWE were not found to undergo degradation according to the results obtained from SDS-PAGE analysis. The results of this study suggested that continuous flow microwave pasteurization of LWE exhibits potential as a viable alternative to conventional pasteurization methods. Industrial relevanceThe adoption of high-efficiency physical processing methods is imperative for the sustainable and low-carbon advancement of the food industry. This study confirmed the feasibility of continuous flow microwave pasteurization as an alternative to conventional methods for liquid whole egg, addressing key limitations encountered in traditional pasteurization approaches, and the findings offer practical insights for industrial-scale production. Additionally, the development and application of a continuous flow microwave heating system for pasteurizing liquid whole egg provide valuable knowledge for the utilization of microwave treatment in processing high-viscosity and heat-sensitive fluid foods.