Improving mass transfer to soften tissues by pulsed electric fields: fundamentals and applications

The mass transfer phenomenon occurs in many operations of the food industry with the purpose of obtaining a given substance of interest, removing water from foods, or introducing a given substance into the food matrix. Pretreatments that modify the permeability of the cell membranes, such as grinding, heating, or enzymatic treatment, enhance the mass transfer. However, these techniques may require a significant amount of energy and can cause losses of valuable food compounds. Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology is a nonthermal processing method that causes permeabilization of cell membranes using low energy requirements and minimizing quality deterioration of the food compounds. Many practical applications of PEF for enhancing mass transfer in the food industry have been investigated. The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview of the state of the art of application of PEF for improving mass transfer in the food industry.