A new pulsed electric field microreactor: comparison between the laboratory and microtechnology scale

Area of Science:

• Food science and technology
• Biophysics
• Chemical engineering

Background:

• Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment is a non-thermal pasteurization method.
• Microorganisms are inactivated using short, high-voltage electric pulses.
• Optimizing PEF treatment requires precise control and understanding of electric field distribution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a new microreactor for pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment.
• To investigate the efficacy of the microreactor in electroporation studies.
• To enable more detailed investigation of PEF processes for pasteurization.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a flow-through microreactor with a constricted channel for electric field focusing.
• Finite element modeling to analyze electric field homogeneity.
• Electroporation experiments using artificial vesicles loaded with carboxyfluorescein.

Main Results:

• The microreactor achieved high electric field strength at 25 times lower voltages compared to lab-scale setups.
• Finite element analysis confirmed homogeneous electric field distribution within the microreactor channel.
• Electroporation initiated at 0.5 V transmembrane potential, with 51% of vesicles electroporated at 1.5 V.

Conclusions:

• The developed PEF microreactor is an effective tool for studying electroporation and PEF pasteurization.
• The microreactor allows for detailed investigation of PEF processes due to its design and controlled electric field.
• Transmembrane potential is a reliable parameter for describing electroporation in this microreactor system.