Inactivation of microorganisms by pulsed electric fields of different voltage waveforms

Processing foods with HV pulsed electric fields (PEF) is a new technology to inactivate microorganisms and denature enzymes with only a small increase in temperature. Introduction of this new technology will replace or complement conventional thermal processing methods. It will also provide consumers with safe, nutritious foods with fresh quality. For a given peak value of field intensity and amount of electric energy input, PEF inactivation of microorganisms is closely related to the waveform of applied pulses. Inactivation of microorganisms was studied with different waveshapes including exponential decay, oscillatory decay, square waves, and bipolar pulses. Microbial inactivation was tested in a parallel-plate static treatment chamber. Treatment field intensity ranged from 12 to 40 kV/cm while pulse length ranged from 30 to 180 μs. From the microbial test results, bipolar square-wave pulses are the most efficient in terms of microbial inactivation for commercial PEF pasteurization