Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) applications in the inactivation of parasites in food
Juan Manuel Martínez, V. Abad, Joaquín Quílez, Javier Raso, Guillermo Cebrián, Ignacio Ãlvarez
Abstract
Parasites are concerning food-borne pathogens. Some of them are currently not being routinely controlled in food, probably because their burden on public health is underestimated and the relative importance of different transmission routes is not completely known. Parasitic incidences could be avoided if preventive technologies were applied during food processing. Effective inactivation treatments are currently based on heat or freezing, but their side effects collide head-on with current consumer trends and new culinary habits. This review describes the potential application of Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology in the control of food-borne parasites, with the aim of reducing the viability and infectivity of parasite transmission stages without affecting food quality. Results of published studies performed on different media are critically analyzed and factors affecting the outcomes are examined. Recent studies on the topic demonstrate the feasibility of PEF as an alternative to traditional freezing processes for the inactivation of Anisakis in fish. The development of new PEF equipment is advancing at a rapid pace, allowing for food treatment at a scale that would have been unimaginable some years ago. A review of more basic-science studies carried out on buffer media would contribute to progress in addressing the underlying drawbacks that remain to be solved. Thoroughly different fields (parasitology, physics, food engineering, water sanitation, etc.) should converge to achieve the industrial implementation of PEF for the inactivation of food-borne parasites.