Radio Frequency Heating System Research Articles

Trigger transceiver and timing control system for ADITYA-U tokamak

The trigger transceiver and timing control system described in this study is developed to generate multiple triggers with varying delays to synchronize various subsystems with plasma discharges in the ADITYA Upgrade (ADITYA-U) tokamak (Ghosh et al., 2016) [1]. The Toroidal Field Power Supply (TFPS) is a fundamental component for each plasma discharge in the ADITYA-U, which generates a master trigger pulse for the particular discharge. The rise time of Toroidal Field Power Supply is 2 s and the loop voltage which is required to initiate the plasma discharge begins at 2.4 s after the master trigger. So the loop voltage is time-stamped at t = 0 and the master trigger from TFPS is time-stamped at t = −2.4 s and considered as a pre-trigger. Apart from this master trigger at t = −2.4 s, two more pre-trigger pulses, one at ∼ −40 ms and another at ∼ −4 ms, prior to the initiation of loop voltage trigger are generated by the power supply. These pre-trigger pulses generated by TFPS constitute the backbone of the entire discharge timing sequence, and they operate/control/initiate numerous ADITYA-U subsystems such as the gas puffing system, data acquisition system, radio frequency pre-ionization and heating system, plasma position control, and so on. So a suitable trigger generator system was needed to be developed in which three pre-trigger pulses (time stamped @ −2.4 s, −40 ms, and −4 ms prior to the loop voltage trigger) arriving from the TFPS may be selected and altered based on the experimental needs. To cater these requirements in ADITYA-U, a trigger transceiver and timing control system has been developed. The system has been successfully operated over ∼6000 discharges of ADITYA-U and functioned satisfactorily in all discharges in daily experiments with no failures. This study will discuss the detailed design elements and implementation of the Trigger Transceiver and Timing Control System for ADITYA-U plasma operations.

Optimizing Radiofrequency Exposure Parameters for One-Pass Drying of High-Moisture Paddy Rice

Highlights The utilization of standardized Radiofrequency (RF) exposure parameters ensures safety and process consistency. Equations were used to estimate Power Density (S), Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), and Electric Field Intensity (E). One-pass RF drying effectively lowered paddy rice (Cultivar [cv.] XL-753) initial Moisture Content (MC; 20.4% w.b.) to safe levels (=13.5% w.b.) with SARAdjusted of 1.87 × 106 J, E of 46.82 V/m, and S of 300,000 W/m² (6,000 W/kg). Higher SARAdjusted values impacted paddy rice surface lipid content and milling yields, while minor changes in color and viscosity showed inconsistent and subtle practical effects. Abstract. Radiofrequency (RF) heating utilizes high-frequency electromagnetic waves to induce heat within materials via molecular friction. This method offers rapid, even heating, deep penetration, and energy efficiency. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research on RF exposure parameters concerning food processing. Investigating these parameters is crucial for RF process optimization, setting safety guidelines, and guaranteeing product quality. This research clarifies RF exposure parameters through the one-pass drying of high moisture content (MC) long-grain paddy rice (cultivar [cv.] XL-753) at an initial MC of 20.4% wet basis (w.b.) to a final of MC of = 13.5% w.b. (safe MC for storage). The specific objectives of this research were to: 1. Advocate the utilization of standardized RF exposure parameters (Specific Absorption Rate, SAR; Electric Field Intensity, E; and Power Density, S) of food and agricultural products, aiming to simplify RF processing, fostering consistency and safety in operations. 2. Estimate the RF exposure parameters associated with the one-pass RF drying process. 3. Determine the RF exposure parameters’ influence on rice physicochemical attributes of Milled Rice Yield (MRY), Head Rice Yield (HRY), Color Parameters (L* a* b*), Surface Lipid Content (SLC), and Pasting Properties. Using a pilot-scale parallel-plate RF heating system (6 kW, 27.12 MHz) with a 105 mm product-to-emitter gap, RF exposure parameters were determined: E = 46.82 V/m; EEff = 33.11 V/m; S = 300,000 W/m²; SAR = 2,224.95 W/kg. Rice samples underwent RF exposure durations of 360, 600, and 840 s, resulting in SARAdjusted levels of 0.80 × 106, 1.33 × 106, and 1.87 × 106 J, respectively. Half of the RF-processed paddy rice underwent tempering, which involved immediately transferring paddy rice after RF treatments into sealed glass jars and then into an incubator set to a constant temperature of 60°C for a duration of 4 h. RF processed samples at the highest SARAdjusted tested (1.87 × 106 J) followed by tempering resulted in MC reductions of 6.7% pt. w.b., final MC of 14.0% w.b., MRY, HRY, and SLC of 70.80%, 47.38%, and 0.47%, respectively. Non-tempered samples at the same SARAdjusted level had MC reductions of 7.34% pt. w.b., final MC of 13.1% w.b., MRY, HRY, and SLC of 60.91%, 4.53%, and 0.43%. Tempering and SARAdjusted values slightly affected rice physicochemical characteristics of color and viscosity. However, the differences were minor and inconsistent. To ensure optimal quality in large-scale RF drying of rice, it is crucial to avoid SARAdjusted levels exceeding 1.33 × 106 J. Exceeding this threshold has been shown to cause overheating, adversely impacting the grain’s quality. Moreover, implementing a tempering process post-drying is also essential in mitigating these detrimental effects. Keywords: Color, Electric field intensity (E), Lipids, Milling yields, Power density (S), Radio-frequency (RF), Rice drying, Specific absorption rate (SAR), Viscosity.

Performance evaluation of an experimental radio frequency heating system designed for studying the solid-liquid extraction

Radio frequency (RF) heating has been extensively used in food processing. However, most RF equipment used for food processing studies is for general-purpose on a pilot scale, rather than being designed on specific processes. This study aimed to develop an experimental 50 Ω RF system equipped with vertical parallel plate electrodes to facilitate the liquid heating in the solid-liquid extraction (SLE) studies, and its heating performances and electromagnetic (EM) leakage were also evaluated. Results showed that compared with the cylindrical container, rectangular one had better heating rate and uniformity, and was more suitable for the vertical parallel plate system. For solid-liquid mixture, RF heating rate increased with increasing particle size within a certain range, but the heating uniformity of the sample surface decreased. Both RF heating rate and uniformity increased with increasing liquid-solid ratio. Furthermore, air bubble stirring at a flow rate of 0.8 L/min resulted in a larger heating rate with better heating uniformity. Shielding using 4 mm stainless steel plate in the self-designed metallic enclosure ensured that the EM leakage was much smaller than the limiting value required by International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. The results from this study would provide some basic information and guidelines for application of vertical parallel plate RF system in the study of SLE of bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products.

Thermal behavior of CMC solutions under simulation of radio frequency pasteurization

Pasteurization and enzyme-inactivation are an economical and convenient way to provide safety and shelf-life stability. However, long heating time and non-uniform temperature distribution are the main issues of traditional thermal processing for enzyme-inactivation. Because of the volumetric heating and high heating rate, radio frequency (RF) treatment is considered as one of the most promising physical enzyme-inactivating methods. A 6 kW, 27.12 MHz RF heating system was applied to explore the effect of cylindrical container dimension and solution concentration on the thermal behavior of high-viscosity liquid food. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) solution as a non-Newtonian fluid was selected as a model liquid food in this study. The target temperature for enzyme inactivation was 70 °C. The experimental results showed that the electrode gap, container length, and container diameter affected the heating rate and uniformity of the liquid food. Furthermore, when the concentration of CMC solution increased from 0.5% to 2.0%, the heating rate of the solution firstly increased and then decreased, while the heating uniformity index of the solution increased from 0.008 ± 0.001 to 0.056 ± 0.002. The simulation results showed that the higher electric field strength led to a higher heating rate, temperature, and velocity of natural convection of the solution at the ends of the container. Then, the recirculation zones from the ends to the center of the container were formed, which was diminished with the increasing concentration solution, resulting in the increased maximum temperature difference of solution. The results of this research may provide useful data for subsequent continuous flow studies and information on potential RF enzyme-inactivation in high-viscosity liquid foods.

Developing practical and small-scale radio frequency technology for tempering minced chicken breast at home

Radio frequency (RF) tempering, as a new tempering method suitable for overall heating applications, has been widely used for meat processing industry. However, an effective and uniform tempering process in a suitable RF system is still lacking for household applications. The cylindrical chicken breasts (Φ75 mm × 60 mm, Φ100 mm × 60 mm, and Φ125 mm × 60 mm) in a cubic polypropylene container were tempered in a newly self-built small-scale 50 Ω domestic RF heating system. Crushed ice was applied to surround the medium-size sample to improve the temperature distribution by matching the electric field behaviors in the RF tempering process. This study explored the effects of crushed ice assisted RF tempering (CIRFT) on heating behavior of test samples under three input power levels (300, 500, and 700 W) and three electrode gaps (80, 90, and 100 mm). The tempering performance between CIRFT and crushed ice assisted microwave tempering (CIMWT) were compared. The product quality [drip loss, color, pH value, and total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN) content] obtained through CIRFT, RFT, CIMWT, and MWT were compared. Results demonstrated that at the optimum CIRFT condition (500 W, 80 mm) the tempering rate and the heating uniformity of samples were improved as compared to RFT. In addition, the drip loss and TVBN content of the samples were relatively better with CIRFT than with RFT. Moreover, the better-quality attributes were obtained in RF treatments compared to MW tempering. Thus, CIRFT showed a positive effect on chicken tempering for household applications resulting in a rapid and uniform heating with a relatively greater retention of product quality.

Measurement of Dielectric Properties in Soil Contaminated by Biodiesel-Diesel Blends Based on Radio Frequency Heating

Several recent studies have found that measuring the dielectric permittivity of soil can be used to determine the level of environmental pollution. However, there is limited research on the measurement of dielectric properties in soil contaminated with biodiesel-diesel blends from Thailand. This paper presents to monitor the dielectric properties of soil contaminated with biodiesel-diesel blends. Specifically, we use the commercial grade diesel B7 to contaminate a sample of sand soil. We also study the measurement of dielectric properties in contaminated soil with the diesel B7 using a dual electrode plate-based radio frequency (RF) heating system. This allows us to observe the behavior of the contaminated soil before and after RF heating treatment. The experimental result showed that the dielectric properties of uncontaminated and contaminated soil were different. In addition, the RF heating system utilizing the electric field intensities of 450 kV/m resulted in the dielectric properties of the contaminated soil becoming similar to those of uncontaminated soil. These findings suggest that using RF heating on contaminated soil samples improve the air in the pore space compared to unheated contaminated soil. This approach may be effective for the treatment of soil in Thailand using an RF heating system with dual electrode plates.

Evaluating performances of a small-scale 50 Ω radio frequency heating system designed for home applications

Industrial-scale radio frequency (RF) heating systems have been extensively used in processing agricultural products and foods. However, small-scale RF heating systems for household applications are yet to be realized. The purpose of this study was to develop small-scale 50 Ω RF heating systems and evaluate its heating performances with cooked rice (moisture content (MC) of 62.5 ± 0.5% wet basis (w.b.)). Two RF systems (13.56 and 27.12 MHz) were developed, and the heating rate, heating uniformity, and energy efficiency of cooked rice samples were compared between the developed RF units and a 2450 MHz microwave (MW) oven under static conditions. Results showed that the RF heating systems had smaller temperature differences and better heating uniformity than the MW oven under similar overall heating rate and the same input power (700 W) levels. The 13.56 MHz RF system performed better than the 27.12 MHz one. These findings may provide some clear performance indicators and guidelines for domestic application of small-scale 50 Ω RF heating systems.

Different effects of radio frequency and heat block treatments on multi-scale structure and pasting properties of maize, potato, and pea starches

Radio frequency (RF) heating as a novel food processing technology holds potential for the modification of starch. To expand the practical application of starch, a 27.12 MHz RF heating and heat block (HB) systems were used and compared to process starches obtained from maize, potato, and pea. The temperature changes and heating uniformity with these two different heating methods were analyzed, and the effect of those two treatments on multi-scale structural and pasting properties of the three starches was investigated. Results showed that the heating uniformity index λ of samples ranged from 0.003 to 0.008, and there was no significant difference in heating uniformity between RF and HB treatments under the same conditions. Compared with the HB treatment, there were more cracks, larger pores, and more debris on the surface of RF treated potato, maize and pea starch granules. After RF treatment, the internal structure of starch was less compact and the crystal layer was thicker using small angle X-ray scattering. The degree of order values of starch increased significantly after RF and HB treatments based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy observations. The heating rate had a less pronounced effect than the heat methods on amylose content. A opposite trend, however, was found on pasting properties. RF heating resulted in nonthermal effects on the multi-scale structure of starch, which was significantly different from conventional HB methods. This study may provide a theoretical basis for better understanding thermal and nonthermal effects of RF treatments.

Radio Frequency Drying Behavior in Porous Media: A Case Study of Potato Cube with Computer Modeling

To study the mechanism of heat and mass transfer in porous food material and explore its coupling effect in radio frequency (RF) drying processes, experiments were conducted with potato cubes subjected to RF drying. COMSOL Multiphysics® package was used to establish a numerical model to simulate the heat and mass transfer process in the potato cube and solved with finite element method. Temperature history at the sample center and the heating pattern after drying was validated with experiment in a 27.12 MHz RF heating system. Results showed the simulation results were in agreement with experiments. Furthermore, the temperature distribution and water vapor concentration distribution were correspondent with water distribution in the sample after RF drying. The water concentration within the food volume was non-uniform with a higher water concentration than the corner, the maximum difference of which was 0.03 g·cm−3. The distribution of water vapor concentration in the sample was similar to that of water content distribution since a pressure gradient from center to corner allowed the mass transfer from the sample to the surrounding in the drying process. In general, the moisture distribution in the sample affected the temperature and water vapor concentration distribution since the dielectric properties of the sample were mainly dependent on its moisture content during a drying process. This study reveals the mechanism of RF drying of porous media and provides an effective approach for analyzing and optimizing the RF drying process.

Radio frequency heating of green peas (Pisum sativum L.): The improvement of heating uniformity and its dry blanching effect.

A radio frequency (RF) heating system was used to process green peas and a rotating system was introduced to improve heating rate and heating uniformity. Results revealed that rotation treatment accelerated heating rate effectively and improved heating uniformity index significantly (p<0.05) from 0.175 (0rpm, 55°C) to 0.029 (60rpm, 55°C). After being treated with RF and traditional hot water blanching at 85°C, the residual lipoxygenase activities of green peas were 1.90± 0.71% and 35.51± 5.25%, respectively, confirming RF possessed better blanching efficiency. Meanwhile, weight loss, electrolyte leakage rate, color, and texture of green peas all had significant changes (p<0.05) through RF heating. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: A rotation device can effectively improve heating uniformity of RF electromagnetic heating. The rotation device could be expanded or further developed into continuous feeding conveying device for industrial production.

Comparison of characteristics of various radiofrequency heating systems

Comparison of characteristics of various radiofrequency heating systems

Recent developments in pasteurising seeds and their products using radio frequency heating: a review

AbstractFood‐borne or plant diseases mainly rely on the spread of seeds with pathogens. It is vital to eliminate food/seed‐borne pathogens of seeds and their products before commercial import/export or circulation. Radio frequency (RF) heating is identified as an effective method with lack of chemical residues, rapid or volumetric heating and large penetration depth, and also validated as a potential physical method to eliminate pests or pathogens in agricultural products or foods. Although, many reviews have summarised the applications of RF treatment during the process of foods, little comprehensive review has been focused on seeds and their products pasteurised by the RF energy. Comprehensive summary about principles and main applications of RF energy for pasteurising seeds and their products was reported in this review. This review also introduced some typical RF heating systems, thermal death kinetics of pathogens, influences of RF heating on germination rate of seeds and some ways for improving uniformity of RF heating. Furthermore, this review recommended the future research directions about treatment of seeds and their products using RF energy, especially for seed industry to control the pathogens in seeds without reducing their quality after RF treatments.

Mortality and thermal death kinetics of rusty grain beetle in stored wheat using a pilot-scale 50-Ω radio frequency (RF) heating system

This paper discusses the determination of kinetic parameters for the thermal death kinetics of rusty grain beetle in stored wheat using the temperature history of wheat during 50-Ω RF heating. At 353 K, a 100% insect mortality rate was achieved at all three moisture content levels tested. At 343 K, a 100% insect mortality rate was achieved at the 15% and 18% moisture contents. Increases in the target temperature and moisture content of the wheat samples significantly increased the mortality rate of the insect pests. The thermal death kinetics of the rusty grain beetle during 50-Ω RF heating followed a 1st order reaction. The value of Ea was 97.490 J/mol, and the value of k0 was 6.74 × 1013 1/s. There was good agreement between the experimental mortalities and the simulated mortalities based on the thermal kinetic model.

Predictive models of the top electrode voltage of radio frequency heating systems for low moisture foods

Precise and rapid estimations of the top electrode voltage in free-running oscillator (FRO) radio frequency (RF) heating systems are important for effective computer simulation to improve the heating uniformity. In this study, factors affecting the voltage were comprehensively analyzed in the fixed frequency heating system (50-Ω), which was experimentally and subsequently utilized in the model development of the FRO system using the machine learning (ML) methodology. The ML models were validated by the combined heating experiments involving in typical low-moisture foods (LMFs) (including soybeans, rice, wheat kernels, wheat flour, and peanut butter) with different volumes and moistures under various electrode gaps. An assemble factor describing the power coupling state of samples along with the RF powers and electrode gaps was employed as input parameters, and published experimental voltages of soybeans as output parameters to train five types of ML models. Results showed that the support vector machine model had the optimal regression performance of the soybeans data and the best application capability over the boarder parameter range. The proposed approach may help to transfer the previously published model from soybeans into other LMFs and the developed model could serve as an effective and accurate tool for relevant computer simulation.

Apparent thermal death kinetics of adult red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) in stored canola (Brassica napus L.) seeds using a pilot-scale 50-Ω radio frequency (RF) heating system

Adult Tribolium castaneum infesting canola seeds at 9% moisture content were treated using a 50-Ω radio frequency heating system and the thermal mortalities of the insects were determined. The infested seeds were treated at temperatures of 24–65 °C with radiofrequency (RF) heating power at 3 kW, 5 kW, and 7 kW. More than 80% of the insects were killed at 65 °C at all the three power levels. The survival rate of the adult T. castaneum decreased with temperature and RF power level. The effect of selective heating on mortality of insects increased at the higher RF powers. An inverse simulation was used to estimate the kinetic parameters of thermal death in adult T. castaneum. The thermal kinetic models developed in this study were solved using the 4th order Runge-Kutta method on a MATLAB platform. The thermal death kinetics for adult T. castaneum followed the 1st order reaction with Ea of 97.50 kJ/mol and k0 of 6.5 × 1013. The lethal time (LTs) calculated using the thermal death kinetic model developed in the study agreed well with the LTs determined experimentally.

Effects of radio frequency heating on mortality of lesser grain borer, quality and storage stability of packaged milled rice

China is an important rice producing and consuming country in the world, but pests are extremely prone to occur during rice storage. Many studies have proved that radio frequency (RF) treatments have broad and promise applications in disinfesting grain. A 6 kW, 27.12 MHz RF heating system was used to study the feasibility of controlling lesser grain borer in packaged milled rice, the relationship between insect mortality and RF heating uniformity to further optimize the RF treatment protocol, and the quality changes of packaged milled rice after RF treatment and storage. The results showed that the maximum insect mortality increased with increasing temperature from 52 to 54 °C and reached 100% at 54 °C for holding 12 min with the smallest RF heating uniformity index. After RF treatment and accelerated storage, all the selected quality parameters of milled rice with 7 brands were not significantly changed, suggesting that the RF treatment protocol may provide effective industrial disinfestation applications.

Determining the top electrode voltage in free-running oscillator radio frequency heating of soybeans under different electrode configurations

This study is focused on a computer simulation-based determination of top electrode voltages associated with the free running oscillator (FRO) radio frequency (RF) heating of soybeans. This is an extension of a previous study that used a single parameter linear regression model to a two-parameter model to better estimate the voltages by considering two different electrode configurations (with/without copper strips) and a wider range of moisture content. Soybeans at four moisture contents (i.e. 4.7%, 7.7%, 9.7% and 11.7% on wet basis, w.b.) and soybean flour (9.7% w.b.) were heated in a 6kW, 27.12MHz FRO RF heating system and the corresponding voltages under five electrode gaps were measured using a customized measuring device for model testing. The results demonstrated that the installed copper strips raised both anode and measured currents, and thus two different models were established for each electrode configuration (with/without copper strips). The relative error was less than 5% between voltages predicted by the improved model and the previous model under the same condition used in the previous study. Moreover, under the broader conditions, the voltage predicted by the improved model was much closer to the computer simulated values than observed with the previous model. Therefore, the developed method was more accurate for estimating the voltage for RF heating of soybeans, which can be applied in computer simulations.

Characterization of 50-ohm radio frequency heating of bulk canola seeds (Brassica napus. L) in a tubular applicator with parallel electrodes and post-treatment quality

A pilot-scale 50-ohm (Ω) radio frequency (RF) heating system was used to determine the temperature distribution of bulk canola seeds (Brassica napus L.), 9% moisture content (MC) wet-basis (w.b.) in a tubular applicator with parallel electrodes. Non-uniformity of the temperature distribution of bulk canola was observed during the RF heating process of the canola seeds. The hottest spot was observed at the front side of the tubular cavity of the applicator adjacent to the hot electrode. Tavg of the canola seeds was 38 °C, 42.2 °C, and 40 °C at 3 kW, 5 kW, and 7 kW respectively. Temperature distribution was relatively uniform in the back zone (0.287, 0.433, and 0.278 for 3 kW, 5 kW, and 7 kW respectively). The physicochemical properties of canola seeds changed significantly after 50-ohm RF heating at various end temperatures and power levels. Industrial relevance textRadio frequency heating is an emerging technology and has immense potential in food grains, pulses, and oilseeds processing. The radio frequency heating can be used for disinfestation of insects, drying, and removal of anti-nutritional compounds in stored food grains, pulses, and oilseeds. Radio frequency heating is based on dielectric heating principle thus allowing selective and volumetric heating. The radio frequency waves have wavelengths ranging from 1 mm to about 100 km with a frequency of 3 kHz to about 300 GHz, the penetration depth is comparatively higher than microwaves, which has wavelengths ranging from 1 mm to about 1 m with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. Thus, radio waves penetrate larger volume objects compared to microwaves. This research investigated a 50-ohm radio frequency heating system with a through field parallel plate type applicator to observe the temperature distribution throughout the bulk canola at different power levels. Understanding the characteristics of 50-ohm radio frequency heating of bulk canola seeds at different power levels can help design effective heating processes involved in canola seeds storage and handling.

Fifty Ohm radio frequency heating treatment under controlled atmosphere for inactivating Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 inoculated on almond kernels

The purpose of the study was to validate effects of radio frequency (RF) heating under controlled atmosphere (CA) on thermal inactivation of E. coli ATCC 25922 in almond kernels. A 2.4 kW, 27.12 MHz, 50 Ω RF heating system was used to treat 1.5 kg size almond kernel samples with the adjusted moisture content of 8.0% wet basis under regular atmosphere (RA, 21% O2, 79% N2) and CA (2% O2, 20% CO2, 78% N2) conditions. The power level of 900 W under an electrode gap of 11.5 cm was used at the ramping stage for quick heating, and a maximum temperature difference of 3 °C in the inoculation area was achieved by continuing the RF heating at reduced power level during the 40 min holding stage. A 4-log reduction time under CA treatment was achieved with 21 ± 1 min holding at 75 ± 3 °C, reducing treatment time by 38% as compared with RA environment. The various quality attributes of treated samples remained within acceptable range based on nut industry standards. The RF heating under CA conditions may hold potential as an effective treatment method to control E. coli ATCC 25922 in raw almond kernels and be possibly extended for pasteurization applications.

A microbial challenge study for validating continuous radio-frequency assisted thermal processing pasteurization of egg white powder

Spray dried egg white powder (EWP) is traditionally processed by hot room treatment for a prolonged period of time (67 °C for 15 days) to enhance its functionality (foaming and gelling) and to improve microbial safety of EWP. Our prior research demonstrated that radio-frequency (RF) assisted thermal processing can considerably reduce the processing time, without compromising the functional properties of EWP. In this study, continuous RF processing was evaluated for pasteurization of EWP. EWP samples were inoculated with a 5-strain Salmonella cocktail or Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 for the microbial challenge studies. To evaluate the inoculation method, stability and homogeneity tests were conducted for both Salmonella and E. faecium in EWP. Continuous RF heating of EWP was conducted in a 6-kW, 27.12 MHz pilot-scale parallel-plate RF heating system. RF-assisted thermal processing of EWP at 80 °C for 2 h provided >6.69 log reduction for Salmonella. E. faecium was found to be a suitable surrogate for Salmonella due to its higher resistance and similar inactivation kinetics during RF heating of EWP. The validated RF-assisted thermal process can be scaled up for use in the egg industry.