Pulsed Electric Field Processing: An Emerging Technology for Food Preservation Mahendra Pal * Ex-Professor of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia * Corresponding author: Mahendra Pal, Ex-Professor of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, Tel: 091-9426085328; E-mail: palmahendra2@gmail.com Received date: March 16, 2017; Accepted date: April 28, 2017; Published date: May 5, 2017 Copyright: © 2017 Pal M. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract In recent years, technological revolution, nutritional awareness, and continuous demand for new generation have necessitated the search for new techniques of food processing in industries. Pulsed electric field is one of the emerging techniques to preserve the foods, especially the liquid ones such as milk, yoghurt, juices, soups, rice pudding, and liquid eggs, but not suitable for solid foods. It has the potential to produce the foods with excellent sensory and nutritional quality besides extends shelf life and ensures safety. Pulsed electric field uses short electric pulses to preserve the foods. This technology is best suited to pasteurize heat sensitive foods. It is hoped that India has great opportunity to develop this novel technology for the food processing. Emphasis is given to undertake comprehensive studies on the efficacy of pulsed electric field on various bacteria and fungi, which are associated with spoilage of foods. Keywords: Emerging technology; Foods; Preservation; Pulsed electric ield processing; Milk; Yoghurt Introduction Since ancient time, humans have used methods to preserve the food for storing so that it can be used later to eat. A number of techniques such as pasteurization, drying, pickling, smoking, canning, irradiation, cooling, freezing, etc. are employed to preserve the foods from microbial spoilage that can result into economic loss as one fourth of world’s food supply is lost. Spoiled food becomes inedible due to undesirable changes in the appearance, color, odor, lavor, and texture. Microbes are widely prevalent in the environment (air, water, soil) and can easily contaminate the food at any stage from farm to table. Hence, preservation of food is highly imperative to ensure the safety, prevent spoilage, extend shelf life, enhance keeping quality, control the food poisoning and reduce economic loss [1]. Presently, many non-thermal food processing technologies such as cold plasma, high pressure processing, irradiation, microwave heating, ohmic heating, pulsed high intensity light, pulsed x-rays, oscillating magnetic ield, pulsed electric ield, and high power ultrasonic are developed to improve, replace or complement the conventionally existing methods. hese techniques are mostly employed for liquid foods as against solids ones, and are mostly used in large scale production. Further, the cost of equipment’s used to impart non- thermal processing is high as compared to equipment’s employed for conventional thermal processing. Out of several non-thermal processing methods, pulsed electric ield is one of the most promising techniques, which can preserve the liquid foods by inactivation of microbes, and also retains the nutritional and sensory attributes of foods. his system is associated with minimum energy utilization and greater energy eiciency than thermal processing [2]. Pulsed electric ield is considered superior to traditional heat treatment because it greatly minimizes the detrimental changes of the physical and sensory properties of food [3]. Furthermore, a consumer likes to purchase the processed food that gives fresh appearance. Application of pulsed electric ield as a non-thermal method of food processing is gaining popularity. It kills the vegetative cells but the texture, color, lavor and nutrients of the food are maintained [3]. Pulsed electric ield processing is suitable for the decontamination of heat sensitive foods. Furthermore, there is no environmental hazard, and there is no evidence of toxicity [2]. he major constraint to employ this technology on wider scale for the pasteurization of heat sensitive foods is high initial investment. he engineering aspects of pulsed electric ield processing include bench top unit, lab scale pulser and treatment chamber. A pilot size pulser may cost approximately US Dollar 250,000. he other units of industrial use are available at the price of US Dollar 450,000 to 2,000,000 [2]. he aim of present communication is to delineate briely the importance of pulsed electric ield as novel method to preserve the foods. Principle of Pulsed Electric Field he basic principle of pulsed electric ield is the application of short pulses of high electric ields with duration of micro seconds and intensity of 10-80 kV/cm. he processing time is calculated by multiplying the number of pulses with efective pulse duration. he use of high voltage results in electric ield that causes the inactivation of organisms. When an electric ield is applied, electric current lows into the liquid food and is transferred to each point in the liquid because of charged molecules present [4]. It is imperative that ater the treatment, the food must be aseptically packaged and properly stored under refrigeration to have long shelf life. Efect of Pulsed Electric Field on Microbial Inactivation Two mechanisms are proposed for the mode of action of pulsed electric ield action on the microbial membrane of the organism. he irst is electroporation in which the cell is exposed to high voltage electric ield pulses that temporarily destabilizes the lipid bilayer and Journal of Experimental Food Chemistry Pal, J Exp Food Chem 2017, 3:2 DOI: 10.4172/2472-0542.1000126 Review Article OMICS International J Exp Food Chem, an open access journal ISSN:2472-0542 Volume 3 • Issue 2 • 1000126