MICROBIAL INACTIVATION OF FOODS BY PULSED ELECTRIC-FIELDS

Pulses of high voltage electric fields (PEF) are potentially a most im portant cold pasteurization/sterilization food preservation technique to replace or partially substitute for thermal processes. Du ring the PEF process, lysis of microorganisms is caused by irreversible structu ral changes in the membranes, leading to pore formation and destructio n of the semipermeable barrier of the membrane. Theories explaining el ectroporation of the cell membrane and applications of the nonthermal PEF process are reviewed in this paper.