Recent Developments in the Preservation of Raw Fresh Food by Pulsed Electric Field
Zhenna Zhang, Zhang Bin, Ruijin Yang, Wei Zhao
Abstract
Raw fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and aquatic products are highly perishable owing to microbial spoilage, chemical, and biochemical reactions after harvest. Pulse electric field (PEF) assisted preservation is a non-thermal technology that exhibits considerable potential to extend the shelf-life of food and provide safe and higher quality products because of its low temperature and short treatment time. This review presents the recent progresses in PEF technology for preserving raw fresh food. The change of cell microstructure, biochemical, and physicochemical properties in raw fresh food induced by PEF is discussed. The application of PEF on raw fresh food regarding inactivating microorganisms, drying, extracting bioactive compounds, and maintaining high quality is summarized. These findings indicate that PEF can be used in food preservation as an alternative or complement to conventional methods. However, the current studies on the effect of PEF on meat and aquatic products were limited. Therefore, more researches about the effect of PEF on protein-based food are needed to facilitate industrial applications.