Pulsed Electric Field Preservation Technology

A new technology for pasteurization of foods- Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) Non-Thermal Pasteurization is a promising technology for the non-thermal pasteurization of foods and a sound complement or replacement to traditional thermal pasteurization. Foods can be pasteurized with pulsed electric fields at ambient or refrigerated temperatures for a short treatment time of seconds or less and the fresh-like quality is preserved.Although applying pulsed electric fields to food pasteurization on a large scale presents many unresolved engineering challenges, pulsed electric fields used to food pasteurization is successful in laboratory tests and it is approaching to industry operation. This paper reviews pulsed electric fields and PEF bactericidal effect. Design of treatment chambers for high voltage pulsed electric field pasteurization and examples of PEF microbial inactivation in laboratory tests are presented.