Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54

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Trends in Food Science & Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tifs

Pulsed electric field: A potential alternative towards a sustainable

food processing
Rai Naveed Arshad a, Zulkurnain Abdul-Malek a, *, Ume Roobab b, Muhammad Abdullah Munir a,
Amirreza Naderipour a, Muhammad Imran Qureshi c, Alaa El-Din Bekhit d, Zhi-Wei Liu e,
Rana Muhammad Aadil f, **
a
Institute of High Voltage & High Current, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
b
School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510640, China
c
Faculty of Technology Management and Technopreneurship, Technical University of Malaysia, Malacca, 75300, Malaysia
d
Department of Food Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
e
College of Food Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
f
National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Background: Sustainable food supply is a primary concern for food industries, governments, and international
Pulsed electric field agencies worldwide. Food industries are under continuous pressure to develop processing technologies that
Sustainability simultaneously preserve the nutritional value of foods, improve the bio-accessibility of nutrients, environment
Economic sustainability
friendly and meet consumers’ demands of sensory attributes. Furthermore, increasing population and inadequate
Food safety and security
cultivable land also demand transformations in the existing food processing techniques. Therefore, minimizing
Energy and waste reduction
Revenue generation food wastages, sustainable developments in preservation, nutrient security, and food safety are essential ele­
ments for future requirements.
Scope and approach: This study refers to the roles of the pulsed electric field (PEF) in sustainable food processing
systems. It also discusses the effects of this emerging technology on achieving the critical industrial goals of
enhanced food quality, decreased water usage, reduced emissions, increased energy efficiency, and the ability to
utilize by-products from waste food. The current study also emphasizes the need to understand factors that may
limit this emerging technology’s industrial uptake.
Key findings and conclusions: A combined multi-dimensional methodology through the entire food supply is
essential to meet the worldwide food processing challenges. A limited worldwide food resource must have a
balanced methodology for raw material, water, energy, and nutrient content. PEF technology fulfils significant
needs for sustainable food processing as requires fewer resources to produce quantities of existing foods that are
nutritionally suitable for advancing health and wellbeing, long shelf lives, and transportable.

1. Introduction development, global food management is encouraged to plan and

Sustainability is an essential concept for social, technical, and eco­
nomic improvement that targets the formation of a circular economy
and continuity of providing society needs (Qureshi, Rasiah, Al-Ghazali,
Haider, & Jambari, 2019); León-Bravo, Moretto, Cagliano, & Caniato,
2019). In developed countries, consumers are increasingly demanding a
healthy, safe, and nutritious diet with desirable sensory attributes
(Loveday, 2019). Therefore, the UN’s 2030 program for sustainable
implement sustainable food production systems (Desa, 2016). Sustain­
ability is a real practical solution to ensure the future needs of safe,
healthy, and nutritious food for the growing human population (Mak,
Xiong, Tsang, Iris, & Poon, 2020).
Proper utilization of natural resources and zero food wastes are in­
tegral parts of sustainable food production (Castro-Muñoz, Boczkaj,
Gontarek, Cassano, & Fíla, 2020). Almost one-fourth of global water
consumption is utilized in food processing, which is frequently

* Corresponding author.
** Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: zulkurnain@utm.my (Z. Abdul-Malek), dilrana89@gmail.com (R.M. Aadil).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.02.041
Received 25 June 2020; Received in revised form 20 January 2021; Accepted 17 February 2021
Available online 26 February 2021
0924-2244/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
R.N. Arshad et al. Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54

discharged back to the environment loaded with organic contaminants
(Pereira & Vicente, 2010). Sustainable water use requires integrating
food processing technologies that require reduced water use or devel­
oping systems that enable the reuse of this contaminated water after
proper treatment. Furthermore, large quantities of foods are discarded
as waste during storage, transportation, and processing (Arshad,
Abdul-Malek, Roobab, Qureshi, Khan, Ahmad, & Aadil, 2020). Fruits,
vegetables, and grains are the primary foods contributing to this waste
that subsequently create environmental issues and concerns.
Some food processing technologies rely on unrenewable fossil fuels
that generate greenhouse emissions and contribute to environmental
pollution (Rahimifard, Woolley, Webb, Garcia-Garcia, Stone, & Jellil,
2017). Due to the rise in energy cost, the food industry is under pressure
to adopt production systems with high efficiency and low energy con­
sumption (Pereira & Vicente, 2010; Castro-Muñoz, Yáñez-Fernández, &
Fíla, 2016; Režek Jambrak, Vukušić, Donsi, Paniwnyk, & Djekic, 2018).
As a result, the current food systems face different concerns regarding
their sustainability such as environmental challenges (climate change,
waste management, water, and soil preservation), as well as a variety of
issues such as security of food supply, safety, quality, and accessibility
(Picart-Palmade, Cunault, Chevalier-Lucia, Belleville, & Marchesseau,
2019).
The food industry is interested in innovative non-thermal processing
technologies such as pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasound (US), high
hydrostatic pressure, ultraviolet radiation, due to their ability to pre­
serve the food quality, minimize nutrient loss during processing, and
efficient energy use as compared to conventional thermal processing
(Manzoor et al., 2019). Among these, PEF treatment is perceived as an
environment-friendly and economical technology for inactivating
microbial and improving mass transfer in food products (Zhang, Wang,
Zeng, Han, & Brennan, 2019).
Published research has been demonstrated that PEF application
prolonged the storage-life of different liquid foods by reducing spoilage
and pathogenic microorganisms (Aadil et al., 2015, 2018). Furthermore,
PEF also treated some solid foods to achieve structural modifications
that could lead to desired texture modifications or improved extraction
processes (Barba, Zhu, Koubaa, Sant’Ana, & Orlien, 2016; Bhat, Morton,
Mason, & Bekhit, 2018; Zhang et al., 2019). The application of PEF for
various processes (i.e., inactivation of microorganisms/enzymes, re­
covery of bioactive or cell stimulation, structure modification, and
freezing) has different processing desired parameters such as electric
field intensity (kV.cm− 1) and specific energy (J.kg− 1) (Table 1). It also
highlights the treatment merits and demerits in various food processing.
During PEF treatment, the electroporation arises once the biological
cells are subjected to the applied voltage with the associated electric
field above the required critical transmembrane potential, dependent on
the targeted food and the application (Barba, Parniakov, et al., 2015).
After applying the required critical transmembrane potential, pore for­
mation occurs in the cell membrane, such as plant, animal, microbial
and algae (Fig. 1). Animal and plant cells just require a lower critical
electric field strength (0.5–2 kV cm-1) for electroporation due to their
larger cell size than microbial cells (10–14 kV cm-1) (Bhat, Morton,
Mason, & Bekhit, 2019). The formation of temporary (reversible) or
permanent (irreversible) pores is known as electroporation. These
characteristics make PEF able to be widely implemented in the
food-processing industries, which mainly include non-thermal microbial
inactivation, valuable compounds recovery from plant matrices, and as a
pretreatment method to enhance freezing and drying processes (Arshad,

Table 1
Potential applications of PEF in the food sector.
Application Treatment Sample foods Treatment effects Treatment limitations Reference
conditions

Liquid 5–30 kV Milk, apple juice, Pasteurizing without changing color, Ineffective for grampositive bacteria, (Izabelanair, 2018;
pasteurization cm− 1, orange juice, tomato appearance and maintain neutrients yeasts, and spores; only effective for Timmermans et al., 2019;
10–210 kJ juice, liquid white liquids with low ionic strength and low Meneses, Stratton, &
kg− 1 egg conductivity; protein-rich solutions, Flores, 2017)
accumulate on electrode surfaces;
bubble generation
Enzyme 15–60 kV Apple, tomato, and Inactivation of most undesirable Inefective in inactivation of certain (Zhao & Yang, 2017)
deactivation cm− 1, strawberry juices. enzymes enzymes; require high intensity electric
110–240 kJ field;
kg− 1
Juice extraction 1–6 kV Apple, carrot, sugar Increasing the juice yield with improved High intensity can lead to destruction (Barba et al., 2016; Ferreira
cm− 1, beet, orange, grapes, neutrients of the cell membrane, cell turgor and et al., 2019; Puértolas &
2–12 kJ mango, and olive may have an adverse effect on the Barba, 2016)
kg− 1 viscosity and elasticity of plant tissue
Pre-treatment for 0.6–10 kV Apple, carrot, Increasing the extraction of bioactive Asingle PEF treatment commonly (Barba et al., 2016;
Bio-active cm− 1, chicory, beetroot, compounds; selective recovery of requires a strong treatment strength; Buchmann, Brändle,
compounds 1–100 kJ sugar beet, grapes, bioactive compounds mainly extract water-soluble Haberkorn, Hiestand, &
recovery kg− 1 potato, tomato, and components; solvent residue; exist Mathys, 2019; Tamborrino
olive some solvent residue and pollution; et al., 2020)
small handling capacity
Meat processing 1.5–4 kV Beef, chicken, fish, Lesser negative effects on the High intensities and numbers of PEF (Bekhit et al., 2014; Bhat
cm− 1, pork (ham, minced microstructure in meat tissue, improved repeats may lead to negative effects on et al., 2019b)
10–30 kJ meat, and sausages) tenderness and purge loss; improving the meat appearance due to
kg− 1 water holding properties; enabling the temperature rise; reduce nutritionally
tumbling time to be reduced by up to important minerals; limited literature
50% on sea food treatment
Dehydration 0.3–4 kV Potato, carrot, apple, Drying times reduced PEF-induced stress (e.g. activation of (Liu, Grimi, Lebovka, &
cm− 1, mango, kiwifruit, metabolic pathways) Vorobiev, 2020)
1–20 kJ pepper, and
kg− 1 strawberry
Freezing 0.4–2 kV Potato, carrot, Improving freezing through acceleration Structural disorder and deformation (Parniakov et al., 2016a)
cm− 1 spinach, green bean, of cooling processes and damage of the polyhedrally shaped
1–20 kJ apple cells
kg− 1
Seed treatment 0.6–3 kV Wheat, soybean, Increasing water uptake, germination of Limited available literature on different (Ahmed et al., 2020;
cm− 1 sunflower, and seeds, and growth parameters of conditions and types Evrendilek & Tanasov,
nutsedge seed, algea seedlings; non-chemial weed control 2017)

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R.N. Arshad et al. Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54

Fig. 1. Process of cell membrane permeabilization and functional application.

Abdul-Malek, Munir, Buntat, Ahmad, & Jusoh, 2020). This kind of

electroporation can be adopted to induce the stress reactions that Table 2
PEF Contributions in sustainable food processing.
stimulate the biological cell to produce some complicated secondary
metabolites. It is also introduced into the biological tissue as a different Pillers for PEF PEF contributions References
sustainable food Application toward sustainability
functional material or medications, guaranteeing the electrically stim­
processing
ulated cells. In irreversible electroporation, the cell cannot return to the
original position after removing the applied voltage. Irreversible elec­ Food safety Nutrition PEF preserves the Pallarés et al.
security nutritional values of (2020)
troporation has been broadly studied in the food industry, particularly in the products
the pasteurization of liquid food, enzyme deactivation and biomass Food PEF treatment is (Timmermans
pretreatment applications (Arshad, Abdul-Malek, Roobab et al., 2020). preservation more effective for et al., 2019; Liu
This study illustrates PEF capabilities as a sustainable technology for liquid food et al., 2019a)
pasteurization and
food processing in education, research, and industry. It can be beneficial
solid food
for scientists and food manufacturers to view the commercial exploita­ dehydration/
tion of the PEF technology. Furthermore, PEF technology/treatment freezing.
benefits have been examined to evaluate future progress requirements Reducing food PEF is an important Gulzar and
for a more effective contribution to sustainable food processing. contaminants technique to Benjakul (2020)
decrease food
processing toxins
2. PEF processing towards sustainability and contaminants.
Environmental Reduction of PEF contributes to Ahmad et al.
PEF treatment is regarded as environment-friendly compared with sustainability food wastes reducing food wastes (2020)
from an eco-friendly
traditional thermal food processing. Therefore, PEF technology has been
perspective.
prospected as a sustainable option due to its direct consequences, such as Wastewater PEF is a nonchemical Ki, Parameswaran,
lesser energy and water depletion (Ostermeier, Hill, Töpfl, & Jäger, treatment method for treating Rittmann, and
2020). Additionally, food losses, under-utilization of by-products or wastewater. Torres (2015)
processing residues, and quality losses are significant deficiencies in Reducing the PEF reduces food Misra (2015)
effects of food pesticides.
many commercial food production systems (Käferböck et al., 2020; pesticides
Picart-Palmade et al., 2019). Two technological approaches are possible Supporting PEF based procedure (Fang et al., 2017;
to attain sustainable technology for the food product. First relies on the food-grade also creates hygienic Pascall, 2018)
technical transition; the new, more efficient substitution of old tech­ packaging packaging.
Economic Reduced PEF reduces the Ferreira et al.
nology. The second strategy is related to the study and utilization of the
sustainability energy energy expenses of (2019)
existing technologies in food treatment. consumption food-processing by
PEF tends to contribute to sustainable food processing without targeting the cell
compromising the safety or quality of products and promotes an eco­ membranes.
nomic advantage for the food sector (Clairand, Briceño-León, Profit gained PEF is used for the Ma and Liu (2019)
through recovery of value-
Escrivá-Escrivá, & Pantaleo, 2020; Picart-Palmade et al., 2019). Tech­ byproducts added food
nically, life cycle assessments (LCAs) evaluate PEF technology’s sus­ compounds.
tainability in each food sector. Table 2 demonstrates the PEF Solid food PEF treatment Vorobiev and
contributions in different food applications towards sustainability: pretreatment reduces the turgor Lebovka (2020)
pressure and softens
environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, food safety, and
plant tissue.
food security. The following section elaborates each part of this Food security Improve the PEF treatment of Ahmed et al.
contention. food yield seeds improves the (2020)
yield.

2.1. Food safety

and establishing control plans to minimize risks to consumers’ health are
From a sustainability viewpoint, food safety is a significant feature of essential steps in Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans;
preparing, processing, and preserving food (Tappi, Tylewicz, & Dalla a management system to ensure food safety (Pallarés et al., 2020). PEF
Rosa, 2020). Identifying critical steps throughout the food production

45
R.N. Arshad et al. Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54

has been investigated to reduce risks associated with pathogenic and
spoilage microorganisms (Pallarés et al., 2020). Thus the possibility of
people being sick from infectious disease is minimized. This section
presents the effect of PEF on food preservation and reduction of toxicity
in it.
2.1.1. PEF based food preservation
Food preservation is a combination of required processes to control
internal and external factors responsible for food wastage. Food pres­
ervation’s primary objective is to maximize the product’s shelf life while
maintaining its taste, nutritional and sensory properties (Martínez,
Armesto, Gómez-Limia, & Carballo, 2020).
2.1.1.1. Liquid food preservation. Liquid plant juices, liquid white egg
(LWE), and milk have nutrients that support microbiological growth and
eventually suffer fast deterioration of their safety. In comparison to the
conventional thermal and other non-thermal pasteurization systems,
PEF can be inserted into existing continuously processing lines; also,
ensures the juice’s microbial stability with lesser treatment temperature
and minimum adverse effects (Roobab, Aadil, Madni, & Bekhit, 2018;
Han, Cai, Cheng, & Sun, 2018).
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation requires
processes with 5-log reduction for liquid food preservation (Režek
Jambrak et al., 2018). PEF treatments have been widely tested for a
5-log reduction of microorganisms and enzymes in various food samples
(Table 3). Milk treated with PEF (26.1 kV cm− 1, 101 μs) and (42.5 kV
cm− 1, for 40 μs) had reduced E. coli 8.3-log and 6-log, respectively
(Sharma, Oey, Bremer, & Everett, 2014; Walter, Knight, Ng, & Buckow,
2016). In the first case, the milk was pre-heated to 55 ◦ C for 24 s, which
substantially improved the log reduction. PEF treatment of orange and
apple juices have been widely studied and provided acceptable log
reduction, i.e., 5-log (Timmermans et al., 2019; Van Wyk, Silva, & Farid,
2019). Timmermans et al. (2019) observed the microbial inactivation
with two treatment protocols and reported that (2.7 kV cm− 1, 1000 μs)
was more effective than (10 kV cm− 1, 2 μs). These results confirm that
wider PEF treatment pulses are more effective than higher pulsed
strength with shorter pulse width. However, localized thermal effect and
electrolysis restricted pulse width to microseconds.
2.1.1.2. Solid food preservation. Pulsed electric field technology has
shown various solid food applications with diverse goals, including
structural improvements, physical quality changes, recovery of bioac­
tive compounds, and preservation. Water is essential for the growth of
microorganisms and enzymatic reactions in the food (Tapia, Alzamora,
& Chirife, 2020). Food dehydration and water activity manipulation
have been beneficial strategies to preserve food for centuries. PEF con­
tributes not only to lethal effects on microorganisms but also causes
structural modifications that lead to useful applications such as
improved meat tenderization and dehydration.
Drying is among the earliest food processing methods, and it is
broadly seen in the food industry. Over the years, numerous drying
techniques have been established dependent on heat and/or mass
transfer. However, high running costs continue to be a critical concern
for the drying industry due to long drying periods and high drying
temperatures (Shishir & Chen, 2017). As PEF opens the cell membrane,
it eliminates that limitation and reduces required processing tempera­
ture for a shorter time in drying protocols (Ostermeier, Giersemehl,
Siemer, Töpfl, & Jäger, 2018).
PEF dehydration has been investigated in plant tissues (Chauhan,
Shayanfar, & Toepfl, 2019; Yu, Jin, Fan, & Wu, 2018). PEF (5 kV cm− 1,
8 kJ kg− 1) pre-treated carrot showed a reduced drying time than un­
treated samples (Liu, Pirozzi, Ferrari, Vorobiev, & Grimi, 2019; Wiktor
et al., 2016). Pretreatment of apples with low PEF (800 V cm− 1) facili­
tated preserving the product’s shape and reduced 57% drying time
(Lammerskitten et al., 2019).
Freezing reduces the physiochemical and biochemical reactions by
converting water into to reduce the water content without increasing the
treated food’s glucose contents (Amit, Uddin, Rahman, Islam, & Khan,
2017). Thus, these products can be presented to persons who may limit
sugar intake. Generally, fast freezing time is recommended to obstruct
salts’ diffusion and avoid frozen foods’ decomposition. Freezing time is
considered one of the most significant parameters for shaping frozen
foods’ quality and correlated with the electroporation of cell membranes
(Lammerskitten et al., 2019). PEF (400 V.cm− 1, 100 μs, 0.3 s) pre­
treatment of potato reduced the freezing time (65%) (Jalte, Lanoisellé,
Lebovka, & Vorobiev, 2009). Similarly, PEF pretreatment (800 V cm− 1,
100 μs, 12 kJ kg− 1) of fresh apple before freezing resulted in fresh-like
texture upon defrosting comparable to fresh apples (Parniakov, Bals,
Lebovka, & Vorobiev, 2016).
Many authors stated the advantages of freeze-drying in chemical and
nutritional efficiency over other drying methods. Compared to other
drying processes, Freeze-drying through PEF treatment has smaller en­
ergy consumption (Clairand et al., 2020). Results released till now
indicate that PEF can increase the kinetics of freezing and reduce the
production cost.
Positive PEF’s effects are also observed in treating animal cell
structure design, such as meat. The microstructural modifications pro­
duced by PEF processing are valuable for the meat industry (Alahakoon,
Faridnia, Bremer, Silcock, & Oey, 2016) to improve meat tenderization
(Bekhit, van de Ven, Fahri, & Hopkins, 2014). However, researchers are
not fully agreed on a positive effect of PEF on meat tenderness is not

Table 3
PEF treatment of liquid foods.
Food Sample Treatment conditions Target Species Log Reference
reduction
1
Coconut milk 30 kV cm− Bacteria 5.5-log Arshad, Buntat, Dastgheib, Jusoh, Munir
and Aadil (2020)
Milk 35 kV cm− 1, 2 μs, 200 E. coli 6-log Walter et al. (2016)
Hz
26.2 kV cm− 1, 100 μs, E. coli 8.2-log Sharma et al. (2014)
60 Hz Listeria innocua 2-log
Red wine 30 kV cm− 1, 1.7 μs, 1 B. bruxellensis 3-log Van Wyk et al. (2019)
kHz
Sugarcane juice 30 kV cm− 1, 42 μs Yeast, Mold, 2.71-log Kayalvizhi, Pushpa, Sangeetha, and Antony
(2016)
− 1
Orange juice 2.35 kV cm , 1206 μs Pectin Methylesterase 93.8% Agcam, Akyıldız, & Evrendilek (2014)
2.7 kV.cm-1, 15-1000 E. coli Listeria monocytogenes, Lactobacillus plantarum, Salmonella 5-log Timmermans et al. (2019)
μs Senftenberg and Saccharomyces
Liquid white 50 kV cm− 1, 590 ns, 1 Enterobacter aerogenes 2.4-log Kazuma Baba (2018)
egg Hz
Whole 2 kV cm− 1, 1 μs, 100 E. coli and Listeria 3-log Jin, Yu, and Gurtler (2017)
blueberries Hz

46
R.N. Arshad et al.
widely. Some studies have reported negative or no effects for PEF on
meat tenderness (Faridnia, Bekhit, Niven, & Oey, 2014; O’Dowd, Arimi,
Noci, Cronin, & Lyng, 2013). O’Dowd et al. (2013) reported a perma­
nent change in beef ST muscle, leading to changes in water holding
capacity, weight loss, electrical conductivity, and particle size. That
study reported an increase in the shear force due to PEF treatment (a
negative outcome). First reported that documented a positive effect of
PEF on meat tenderization in hot and cold-boned meats were from
Bekhit’s lab (Bekhit et al., 2014). Bekhit, Suwandy, Carne, Ali, and
Wang (2017) highlighted some deficiencies in the experiment design
and sample preparations that may lead to these contradictory results.
Recently, PEF (0.6 kV cm− 1, 73.28 kJ kg− 1) treated beef had an
altered meat structure and resulted in effective in-vitro digestion ki­
netics (Bhat, Morton, Mason, & Bekhit, 2019). This improved digestion
may be the result of improved tenderization of beef. Earlier, it was re­
ported that beef muscles processed with PEF (5–10 kV cm− 1) had a 19%
reduction in the shear force (Bekhit et al., 2014). The above information
collectively indicates that PEF treatment has a beneficial effect on
meet’s sheer force and tenderness enhancement, translating to better
digestibility and nutritional outcomes of the product.
2.1.2. Effect of PEF on food contaminants
Food contaminants usually contain natural toxins, food processing,
and environmental contaminants, such as food toxins, drug residue, and
pesticide residue. Generally, these contaminants hurt food quality and
may develop risk to human fitness. Food producers try to keep the
contamination level at a lower level through some processing. PEF has
been used as a valuable technique to decrease food toxins and
contaminants.
2.1.2.1. Reduction of 5-Hydroxy Methyl Furfural (HMF) production.
Thermal food treatment produces Hydroxy Methyl Furfural (HMF) due
to the Maillard reaction between amino and carbonyl composites, is
likely carcinogenic to humans (Khaneghah et al., 2020). HMF formation
in a product depends on different factors, i.e., sugar concentration, the
acidity of the product, ascorbic acid content, treatment temperature,
processing time, and storage condition (Agcam, Akyildiz, & Evrendilek,
2016). HMF is measured as an indicator of quality loss in foods rich in
carbohydrates and amino acids/proteins. PEF techniques are appro­
priate to prevent HMF development during food processing and are
therefore necessary during food processing. Table 4 shows the HMF
contents in PEF and thermally treated food products during storage
periods.
The impact of PEF (10 kV cm− 1) on the formation of HMF in tomato,
strawberry, and watermelon juices was evaluated by (Jaeger, Janositz,
& Knorr, 2010). PEF treatment decreased the production of HMF in
tomato (7%), strawberry (40%), and a watermelon (80%) as compared
to thermal treatment. Similarly, the formation of HMF was reduced
(12%) on date juice (Mtaoua et al., 2016). Thus, the PEF technique is an
effective alternative to thermal treatment for ensuring safe food.
2.1.2.2. Reduction of toxins. The development of mycotoxigenic mold
in infected foods can result in mycotoxin’s formation during different
stages of processing and storage. Mycotoxins may have some
Table 4
Comparison of HMF production among PEF and thermal processing.
Sample HMF after PEF HMF after Thermal Reference
processing processing
1 1
Date juice 5.25 mg.L− 5.9 mg.L− (Mtaoua et al.,
2016)
Tomato Juice 2.7 mg.L− 1 2.91 mg.L− 1
Jaeger et al.
Strawberry 0.98 mg.L− 1 1.37 mg.L− 1
(2010)
juice
1 1
Watermelon 0.15 mg.L− 0.27 mg.L−
juice
47
Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54
detrimental impacts on the health of humans and livestock, in addition
to enormous economic losses. Therefore, there have been several at­
tempts over the past few decades to identify multiple methods that can
reduce mycotoxin content. The largest reduction is usually where higher
temperatures are used, but it generates some other issues related to
thermal processing. Various studies have been done to investigate the
degradation of toxic compounds through PEF treatment. A combination
of PEF and thermal processing was investigated to decrease (79–96%)
aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin content in potato dextrose agar (Sub­
ramanian, Shanmugam, Ranganathan, Kumar, & Reddy, 2017). Wei
et al. (2016) studied the effects of PEF (30 kV cm− 1, 10–300 nsec) to
inactivate ricin (4.2 μg mL− 1). This treated ricin was tested with mice
through injection and inhalation, which showed 40% survival than
untreated ricin control. The authors connected this beneficial impact of
PEF on decreasing ricin toxicity to improving the secondary structure of
ricin following therapy (beta-sheet and beta-turn transition).
2.1.2.3. Reduction of pesticides. There is evidence that pesticide use
raises chronic disease production; cancers, diabetes, neurodegenerative
diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, lateral amyotrophic sclerosis,
congenital disabilities, and reproductive disorders (Mostafalou &
Abdollahi, 2013). Therefore, the need to eliminate food pollutants and
toxins emerges while growing awareness of pollutants’ dangers and the
increasing population.
PEF technology positively impacted food pesticide degradation
(Gavahian, Pallares, Al Khawli, Ferrer, & Barba, 2020; Misra, 2015).
Treatment of apple juice with PEF (20 kV cm− 1, 26 pulses) was reported
to decrease methamidophos (9.1%) and chlorpyrifos (9.0%) (Chen et al.,
2009). These researchers have also found that a rise in electric field
intensity and applied pulses frequency can substantially affect pesticide
degradation (Chen et al., 2009). A greater voltage application may
enhance the vibration and rotation of polar molecules, so assisting
pesticide degradation. Akdemir Evrendilek, Keskin, and Golge (2020)
reported a removal efficiency (92.9%) for 16 pesticide residues in cherry
juice when treated with PEF (24.7 kV cm− 1, 655 μs) and pesticides
removal such as pyraclostrobin (96.7%), chlorpyrifos ethyl (91.57%),
cyprodinil (88.22%), malathion (82.80%), tau-fluvalinate (46.76%).
Although a positive impact on pesticide degradation is stated during PEF
processing. However, further studies are required to support these
studies in a wider range of food products.
2.2. Environmental sustainability
Environmental sustainability outlines a boundary to meet the current
requirements without undermining the environment such that it re­
mains alike proficient in supporting the needs of the next generations
(Sala, McLaren, Notarnicola, Saouter, & Sonesson, 2017). PEF process­
ing provides energy and water savings, improved reliability, increased
product quality, improved efficiency, and fewer effect on the environ­
ment (Pardo & Zufía, 2012; Pereira & Vicente, 2010). Aganovic et al.
(2017) used LCA technique to equate a traditional thermal preservation
technology with PEF and found no significant variations in environ­
mental effects. However, Arnal et al. (2018) concluded that PEF is an
environmentally sustainable alternative than thermal processing as it
improved all environmental metrics by 17–20%. The following section
elaborates on the application of PEF processing for a sustainable
environment.
2.2.1. Reduced gas emissions
Emissions are categorized into direct and indirect energy usage.
Direct energy is intended for handling the raw materials and other
production cycles, while indirect energy is used for the food industry
during transportation and electricity production. Thermal food pro­
cessing treatments mostly used fossil fuel in their operations, such as
heating, drying, refrigeration systems, and emit various gases into the
R.N. Arshad et al. Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54

air, such as CO2, SO2, and nitrogen oxides (Pereira & Vicente, 2010).
PEF pasteurization tends to be less energy-intensive than conventional
pasteurization processes, considering the rise in electrical power deliv­
ered, while still leading to reducing CO2 emissions. Wiktor et al. (2020)
discovered a similar finding that PEF assisted drying reduces the envi­
ronmental impact of drying by 5–40%.
Food processing systems operating by electricity are considered
green technologies (especially for indirect energy consumption) due to
their low environmental impact compared with thermal technologies
(Wiktor et al., 2020). Additionally, if renewable energy sources produce
electric power (e.g., hydroelectric power, solar, air turbine), these
practices further reduce contamination and facilitate a sustainable
environment.
2.2.2. Reduction of food wastes
The waste generated from vegetable/fruit processing comprises
trimmings, peelings, stems, seeds, shells, and other residues leftover
from oil, starch, sugar, and juice productions. These food wastes have
rich in high-value substances such as proteins, lipids, starch, vitamins,
minerals, fibres, alkaloids, polyphenols, chlorophyll, inulin, carotenoids
antioxidants (Arshad, Abdul-Malek, Roobab et al., 2020; Barba, Grimi,
& Vorobiev, 2015; Parniakov, Bals, et al., 2016). There has been an
emerging concern to process food waste produced in various processing
steps, confirm the sustainable environment, and advance its methods
(Arshad, Abdul-Malek, Roobab et al., 2020). Devising strategies for
recovering valuable compounds from these waste streams reduced dis­
carded organic matter to the environment and could generate additional
income.
The effectiveness to eliminating the cell wall to release the intra­
cellular materials is a main problem to obtain the natural extracts from
target tissues or cells (Zhao, Yang, Wang, & Lu, 2009). As a developing
non-thermal technique, PEF is known as useful for improving the natural
extracts extraction. Many studies discussed the possibility of using PEF
technology to treat waste for the development of sustainable
bio-refineries (Table 5). Polyphenols (2-fold increase) and anthocyanins
(55%) were recovered from the grape’s pomace with an electric field
strength of 13.3 kV cm− 1 (Barba, Grimi, & Vorobiev, 2015; Rajha,
Boussetta, Louka, Maroun, & Vorobiev, 2015). Franco et al. (2020) have
used PEF (1.40 kV cm− 1) to extract antioxidants
(diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (35.8%), 3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulpho­
nate radical (68.6%), ferric reducing antioxidant power assay
(33.8%)) from fish residues such as heads, bones, and gills. Phenolic
compounds recovered from the maximum food waste, which delivers
resistance to free radical injury, cancer, and circulatory sicknesses
(Kumar, Yadav, Kumar, Vyas, & Dhaliwal, 2017).
2.2.3. Water treatment
Sustainable food processing encourages balanced usage of natural
resources, particularly water. Food processing produces large volumes
of contaminated wastewater that contain organic and inorganic pollut­
ants. The wastewater produced in the food processing used for washing
differs from their source, i.e., waste generated from slaughterhouses is
different from fruit processing. PEF is a nonchemical technology capable
of effectively treating wastewater (Espino-Cortes, El-Hag, Adedayo,
Jayaram, & Anderson, 2006, pp. 684–687). Poyatos et al. (2011) studied
different non-thermal techniques for their potential applicability to
wastewater treatment and found that PEF can be used successfully to
achieve this goal. Similarly, Guionet et al. (2014) have used PEF for
water treatment and showed that PEF is an effective and safe way to
deactivate or destroy bacteria in wastewater at a low energy cost.
2.2.4. In-package sterilization
Food packaging is an essential topic for sustainable food production
due to the high quantities of plastic bags being used (Sánchez-Safont,
Aldureid, Lagarón, Gámez-Pérez, & Cabedo, 2018). An improper ster­
ilized food packaging may risk further cross-contamination of the
product (Fang, Zhao, Warner, & Johnson, 2017). PEF treatment must be
accomplished before food packaging, which is an obstacle to the tech­
nology’s speedy commercialization. PEF treatment after packaging can
also be used once conductive (film) electrodes are included in the
package (Kanogchaipramot, Tongkhao, Sajjaanantakul, & Kamonpa­
tana, 2016). Thus, packaged food can be processed simultaneously
without any need to handle the treated product directly. The develop­
ment of a new treatment chamber (bio-degradable) for PEF food pro­
cessing is required for this new technology. By-products from food
manufacturing can also be used in the development of these new
bio-degradable materials.
2.3. Economic sustainability

Table 5
Economic sustainability emphasizes the efficient utilization of en­
Valuable compounds recovery from food waste through PEF.
ergy, greater throughput, and high profits through highly competitive
Food waste Treatment Recovered References food processing. The following section highlights these impacts in terms
conditions compounds
of PEF treatment.
Mango peels 13.3 kV cm− 1, Proteins, polyphenols, Parniakov et al.
160 kJ kg− 1 and carbohydrates (2016b) 2.3.1. Energy consumption efficiency
Papaya peels 13.3 kV cm− 1, Proteins, polyphenols, Parniakov, Barba,
and seeds 213 kJ kg− 1 carbohydrates, and Grimi, Lebovka, &
Due to consumer demand for convenience, indulgence, and pro­
isothiocyanates Vorobiev (2014) cessed foods, the food industry positions at 4th level in energy usage,
Grapes 13.3 kV. Polyphenols and (Barba et al., 2015) and around 30% of the world’s total energy consumption with expenses
pomace cm− 1, 0–564 anthocyanins standing 3rd of the entire production expenditures next to raw resources
kJ kg− 1
and workforce (UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2018). High energy
Vine shoots 13.3 kV cm− 1, Proteins and Rajha et al. (2015)
50 kJ kg− 1 polyphenols use is related to the requirement of hot water or steam production in
Tomato peel 5 kV cm− 1 Carotenoid increased Luengo et al. (2014); thermal food processing. The traditional pretreatment methods are most
and pulp by 39% Pataro, Carullo, commonly viewed as adopting a new paradigm of sustainable growth.
Siddique, Falcone, PEF based processing has been demonstrated as an active competitor of
Donsì and Ferrari
(2018)
thermal treatments addressed in Table 6.
Orange peel 5 kV cm− 1
3 times increase of Luengo, Álvarez, and Information reported in Table 6 supports that PEF is an energy-
naringin and Raso (2013) saving technique than thermal treatments, mainly when used in a
1
hesperidin continuous process. PEF dehydration could be exciting at an industrial
Rapeseeds 5 kV cm− Proteins, polyphenols, (Yu, Bals, Grimi, &
level due to lesser energy consumption and higher product quality than
stems and clorophylls, and Vorobiev, 2015)
leaves carotenoids conventional drying techniques such as air drying to (microwave) vac­
Sesame cake 13.3 kV cm− 1
Proteins, and (Sarkis, Boussetta, & uum, freeze- or osmotic drying.
polyphenols Vorobiev, 2017) PEF pasteurization processing eliminated 100% of natural gas
Stevia leaves 13.3 kV cm− 1, Polyphenols, and Barba et al. (2015b) requirement and reduced 20% electricity consumption than thermal
5 kJ kg− 1 proteins
pasteurization (Pereira & Vicente, 2014; Probst, Frideres, Pedersen, &

48
R.N. Arshad et al. Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54

Table 6 diffusion into the cell and subsequent mass transfer of metabolites into
Comparison of energy consumption of PEF processing with conventional the bulk of the extraction medium is needed to extract metabolites from
processing. vegetative cells (Arshad, Buntat, Dastgheib et al., 2020). Traditional
PEF Application Required Difference with the Reference solvent extraction typically involves large quantities of solvents to
treatment thermal technique achieve the expected yield. It is possible to speed up the extraction
energy process by adjusting the sample’s physical features (e.g., milling,
Liquid food 10–200 kJ kg− 1
Lower consumption Izabelanair maceration, and peeling) or adding additional extraction aids e.g., heat,
pasteurization
1
(2018) vibration, sound, and agitation.
Steam peeling of 3.6 kJ kg− Lower consumption Izabelanair
It has been regarded as a green technology in biomolecule extraction
tomatoes 30% (2018)
Wine grapes 2.3 kJ kg− 1
Not available Barba et al. industries as it significantly minimizes the use of harmful organic sol­
byproduct (2016) vents and improves solvent extraction efficiency by enhancing diffusion
extraction and mass transfer by electroporation (Ma & Liu, 2019; Poojary et al.,
1
Mango peel 160 kJ kg− Not available Puértolas and 2016; Puértolas, Luengo, Álvarez, & Raso, 2012). Besides, for selective
byproduct Barba (2016)
extraction
extraction of bioactive molecules with superior purity, PEF treatment’s
Drying process 2500–2700 kJ Lower by 60% (Toepfl et al., ability to monitor the degree of electroporation and pore measurements
kg− 1 2006b) can be exploited (Barba, Grimi, & Vorobiev, 2015). PEF has used two
Treatment of apple 1–5 kJ kg− 1 Lower by 90% (Toepfl et al., different equipment setups depending upon the type of raw material.
and potato 2006b)
Jumpable products, such as fruit or vegetable mashes, semisolid prod­
Fries pretreatment NA* Lower by 85% Fauster et al.
(2018) ucts or pre-cut products can be treated in pipe systems with diameters of
Meat Processing 20–40 kJ kg− 1
Not available (Toepfl et al., 50–200 mm. Solid products, such as tubers, beets or whole fruits, are
2006a) usually processed on PEF belt systems.
− 1
Drying 13.4 kJ kg Lower by 36% (Liu et al., Table 7 shows that PEF could potentially help to increase production
2019a)
1 and consequently raise profit margins. El Kantar et al. (2018) evaluated
Sugar beet 3–10 kJ kg − Lower by 60% (Toepfl et al.,
processing 2006b) PEF treatment’s impact on oranges, pomelos, and lemons in aqueous
Maceration energy 5.76 kJ kg− 1
Lower by 50% Ferreira et al. media. After pressing, they also observed juice extraction yield of or­
in winemaking (2019) anges, pomelos, and lemons has increased by 25, 37, and 59%, respec­
*Not available. tively. Similarly, different researchers have used PEF to extract oil from
seeds and found an increase in production yield (Puértolas Eduardo & de
Amato, 2015; Toepfl, Mathys, Heinz, & Knorr, 2006; Puértolas Eduardo Marañón, 2016; Ferreira et al., 2019; Tamborrino et al., 2020). Luengo,
& Barba, 2016). Therefore, low temperature (20–40 ◦ C) produced in PEF Álvarez, and Raso (2014) explored the impact of PEF on carotenoid
pasteurization is considered an energy-efficient processing option that extraction from tomato residues and improved the extraction efficiency
generates lesser environmental effects (Režek Jambrak et al., 2018; (39%) with 15% lowered solvents.
Pereira & Vicente, 2010). During the wine-making process, PEF has been
used to save 50% energy by reducing the maceration time (Ferreira Table 7
et al., 2019). PEF treatment with mild heating required smaller energy Extraction of bioactive compounds through PEF.
(40 kJ kg− 1) to reduce 6-log cycles Escherichia coli (Pereira & Vicente, Bioactive Sources Treatment Yield References
2014). component conditions
PEF treated plant cells simplify the peeling and resistance towards Polyphenols Mango 13.5 kV Recovered Parniakov et al.
cutting decreased, resulting in higher cutting accuracy with lower en­ Peels cm− 1, 160 2.5 times (2016b)
ergy consumption (Fauster et al., 2018; Leong, Richter, Knorr, & Oey, kJ kg− 1 more than
2014; Toepfl et al., 2006; Chemat, Rombaut, Meullemiestre, Turk, & aqueous
extraction
Perino, 2017; Vorobiev & Lebovka, 2020). In French fries, the reduction Polyphenols Wine 2.4 kV 28% Barba et al.
of feathering, breaking loss, and fat uptake was exposed to favourable Grapes cm− 1, 2.3 (2016)
the final product quality and procedure efficiency (Fauster et al., 2018). kJ kg− 1
Some studies revealed that PEF pretreatment of potato decreased the Anthocyanins Cabernet 0.85 kV 60%
Franc cm− 1,
energy requirement to 85% compared to thermal processing as pre­
42–53 kJ
treatment dehydrated the sample (Fauster et al., 2018). Liu et al. (2019) kg− 1
reported that the energy required for the carrot’s vacuum drying was Polyphenols Grape 1.20 kV Raised
also reduced (36%) with PEF pretreatment. Thus, PEF pretreatments Pomace cm− 1, 18 extraction
have reduced the thermal energy requirement for further processing. kJ kg− 1
Oil Olive 2.5 kV 5% Ferreira et al.
Barba, Brianceau, Turk, Boussetta, and Vorobiev (2015) have found Seeds cm− 1, 3.4 (2019)
that lower energy consumption was needed by PEF-assisted extraction kJ kg− 1
than traditional tissue-damaging techniques such as thermal treatment 2 kV 7.5% Tamborrino et al.
(100 kJ kg− 1), mechanical force application (20–40 kJ kg− 1), and cm− 1,7.83 (2020)
kJ kg− 1
enzymatic-assisted disintegration (60–100 kJ kg− 1). Pereira and Vicente
2 kV cm− 1, 13.85% (Puértolas and de
(2010) claimed that PEF based systems avoid using natural gas and 5.22 kJ Marañón, 2015)
boilers due to the elimination of thermal processing. They also claimed kg− 1
the partial reduction of cooling system requirements representing Carotenoid Tomato 5 kV cm− 1 39% Luengo et al.
approximately 50% of the total electricity consumption. Thus, PEF (2014)
Steroidal Potato 0.75 kV 99.9% Hossain,
treatment could also diminish wastewater, thus increasing water and Alkaloids peels cm− 1 Aguiló-Aguayo,
energy savings. Lyng, Brunton,
and Rai (2015)
1
2.3.2. Profit attained through by-products Calcium Egg-shell 15 kV cm− Not available Lin, Shen, and Ye
(2013)
Many food production operations involve the extraction of intra­ 1
Protein Microalgae 20 kV.cm− 96% Buchmann et al.
cellular substances (ABENOZA et al., 2013). Traditionally, the solvent’s (2019)

49
R.N. Arshad et al. Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54

Rajha, Boussetta, Louka, Maroun, & Vorobiev, (2014) compared 2019).

different non-thermal techniques (ultrasounds, high voltage electrical
discharge, and PEF treatments) and traditional grinding the fermented 2.4.1. Sustainable Nutrition Security
grape pomace for bio-compounds. They reported that PEF based treat­ Concepts of sustainability have been adopted by nutrition re­
ment enhanced the extraction of anthocyanins up to 22 and 55% than searchers leading to the establishment of the field of Sustainable
ultrasound and high voltage electrical discharges-based extractions and Nutrition Security (Smetana, Bornkessel, & Heinz, 2019). PEF technol­
substantial increase of polyphenols and proteins from vine shoots with ogy has already been established as an excellent substitute for conven­
PEF extraction. tional thermal processing since it preserves the processed food’s
PEF technique is used to valorize by-products from fish processing nutritional values (Gómez et al., 2019). PEF does not influence small
industries (Arshad, Abdul-Malek, Roobab et al., 2020). In this portion, molecules’ structure and durability, including polyphenols, amino acids,
Zhou et al. developed an improved method using high-intensity PEF to lipids, and carbohydrates (Yang, Liu, Qin, Munk, Otte, & Ahrné, 2019).
remove calcium from fish bones. They compared the findings with US However, a few studies have shown that extensive treatment with PEF
technique, PEF indeed facilitated a short time to achieve higher can alter proteins’ structure, decrease vitamin C levels, and isomerize
extraction efficiency. This observation was in line with the negative carotenoids, although the effect is less extreme than traditional thermal
findings of the applicability of US to speed up the extraction process processing.
(Gavahian, Farhoosh, Javidnia, Shahidi, Golmakani, & Farahnaky, The effects of PEF on the different food nutrients such as proteins,
2017). Similarly, another study used fishbone to extract chondroitin lipids, vitamins, polyphenols, fatty acids, amino acids, carbohydrates/
sulphate using PEF (He, Yin, Yan, & Yu, 2014). peptides have been studied (Table 8). Vitamin C is a quite distinguished
water-soluble vitamin that is beneficial for human health. PEF tech­
2.3.3. Non-thermal cooking nology has been utilized to retain vitamin C in plant-based foods. Zhang
PEF technology has a beneficial influence on the frying process and et al. (2015) have examined the effect of PEF on vitamin C solution (in
the finished product’s consistency characteristics (Ignat, Manzocco, ethanol-water at 1:1 v/v) and found that PEF treatment (0–35 kV cm− 1,
Brunton, Nicoli, & Lyng, 2015). The frying process involves much 1 kHz, 40 μs) has maintained vitamins C as compared to thermal
complex heat and mass transfer mechanisms. The water evaporation on treatment. Low PEF (1 kV cm− 1) applied to apple juice showed 44%
the product’s surface results in a water vapour (bubble) barrier against retention of Vitamin C (Vallverdú-Queralt et al., 2012). A PEF (35 kV
the oil (Fauster et al., 2018; Janositz, Noack, & Knorr, 2011). cm− 1) tomato juice retained 100% vitamin C content (Dziadek et al.,
PEF-assisted cooking is more homogeneous than conventional cooking,
reducing frying time because of quicker water loss and less moisture to
be removed, resulting in less heat load (Blahovec et al., 2017a). Table 8
PEF technology has been adopted in French fry and chip production. PEF treatment of liquid foods.
Instead of slowly heating the product up to 60 ◦ C, PEF is applied cold, Food Treatment Sample Effect Reference
with treatment times below 1 s. PEF (0.75 kV cm− 1, 18.9 kJ kg− 1) nutrients conditions food
treatment has been confirmed to produce low-fat French fries and Proteins 0.2–0.6 kV Beef 100% retention of Faridnia et al.
showed a distinct reduction of oil uptake due to the softening effect cm− 1 protein profile (2014)
(Ignat et al., 2015). This small amount of oil uptake is due to the Amino 35 kV cm1, Tomato Retained free Odriozola-Serrano
acids 4 μs, 100 juice amino acids et al. (2013)
smoother product surface.
Hz (2.5%) and
PEF-assisted commercial E-cooker from IXL company is already on phenylalanine
the market to meet this demand (Blahovec et al., 2017b). (Fig. 2) Fig. 2 a (27%) than
shows a chicken fillet treated with a conventional method where the thermally treated
outer layer reached a temperature of >150 ◦ C. In contrast, the inner samples
15–35 kV Broccoli 57% higher Sánchez-Vega et al.
layers attained a much smaller temperature of 70 ◦ C. While in Fig. 2 b, cm− 1, 4 μs, juice amino acids (2020)
PEF cooked chicken filet showed a homogeneous effect in the whole filet 100 Hz
at 70 ◦ C. Lipids 16 kV White Retained of fatty Gulzar and
and cm− 1, 240 shrimp acids through Benjakul (2020)
fatty pulses reducing lipid
2.4. Food security
acids oxidation
40 kV Soymilk Retained 13% Morales-De La Peña
The lack of agro-processing techniques has been an excessive cm− 1, 4 μs, fatty acids than et al. (2011)
concern that many nations, particularly developing countries, have a 200 Hz thermal processed
shortage of healthy food. PEF processing technologies can address this Vitamins 30 kV Tomato 100% Dziadek et al.
cm− 1, 400 juice preservation of (2019)
challenge (Leong, Burritt, & Oey, 2016). PEF treatment has been re­ pulses vitamin C
ported significantly to improve the yield, such as the extraction of sugar 1 kV cm− 1, Apple Retained vitamin Vallverdú-Queralt
from beetroot, the juice from grapes or apple, and bioactive compounds 4 μs, 0.1 Hz juice C (44%) et al. (2012)
(Barbosa-Canovas & Zhang, 2019; Gómez et al., 2019; Zeng & Zhang,

Fig. 2. Comparison of chicken filet cooked with conventional and PEF cooker; (a) conventional cooked, (b) PEF cooked.

50
R.N. Arshad et al.
2019). Similarly, PEF pretreatment (2 kV cm− 1, 0.32 kj.kg− 1, 400 μs) of
red bell peppers were shown to retain 90% of vitamin C (Ade-Omowaye,
Talens, Angersbach, & Knorr, 2003). Vitamin C was also recovered in
extracts attained from fennel slices treated by PEF (0.4 kV cm− 1, 450
pulses) (Moubarik, El-Belghiti, & Vorobiev, 2011). One possible reason
for preserving vitamin C in PEF-treated plant foods is the inactivation of
vitamin C degrading enzymes, i.e., ascorbic acid oxidase (Leong, Oey, &
Burritt, 2015).
PEF (35 kV cm− 1, 4 μs, 100 Hz) treatments retained more free amino
acid (2.5%) and phenylalanine (25%) than thermal treatment (1500 mL,
90 ◦ C for 60 s) in tomato and strawberry juices (Odriozola-Serrano,
Garde-Cerdán, Soliva-Fortuny, & Martín-Belloso, 2013). Sánchez-Vega,
Garde-Cerdán, Rodríguez-Roque, Elez-Martínez, and Martín-Belloso
(2020) have reported higher amino acid content (57%) in PEF (15 kV
cm− 1) treated broccoli juice as compared with untreated samples and
reduced amino acid content (62%) in a thermally processed broccoli
juice. Processed soymilk with PEF (35 kV cm− 1) showed a 13% higher
level of fatty acids than thermally treated soymilk (Morales-De La Peña,
Salvia-Trujillo, Rojas-Graü, & Martín-Belloso, 2011). The effect of PEF
treatment on amino acid composition in soy protein isolates was studied
using Raman spectroscopy (Liu et al., 2014). Unlike the fatty acids, at
treatment intensities of 30–50 kV cm− 1, the amino acid contents in the
protein isolates were reduced due to the reassembly of unfolding pro­
teins (Liu et al., 2014). Furthermore, PEF (40 kV cm− 1, 200 μs) treat­
ment resulted in an extra 7.5% total free amino acid extraction in green
tea infusions (Zhao et al., 2009).
2.4.2. Seed germination
PEF treatment induces significant and sustained changes in the
seedlings’ metabolism (Ahmed et al., 2020). A PEF pretreatment of seeds
before planting was found to alter and stimulate some biochemical and
biological impacts in the seeds (Mattar et al., 2015). González-Casado,
Martín-Belloso, Elez-Martínez, and Soliva-Fortuny (2018) reported that
total carotenoid and lycopene concentrations were increased to almost
50% with PEF treatment. They noted significant and sustained changes
in the metabolism of the resultant wheatgrass seedlings. Similarly,
Leong et al. (2016) monitored the growth performance of wheatgrass
seedlings from untreated seeds and treated with PEF (1.4 kV cm− 1)
seeds; seedlings produced from treated seeds were slightly larger than
seedlings from untreated seeds. Ahmed et al. (2020) reported that PEF
increased antioxidant enzymes’ activities in the resultant seedlings by
stimulation and increasing the harvested shoot’s bio-protective capac­
ity. Furthermore, PEF treatment provides a valuable alternative for the
inactivation of pathogens providing an excellent opportunity for organic
seed production (Evrendilek & Tanasov, 2017). Hence, PEF treatment at
moderate conditions is an appropriate technique to stimulate
agro-products production and supports food security.
3. Technical limitations of PEF processing
Although PEF technology is moving for broader industrial use, some
shortcomings still impede the commercialization of PEF technology into
food industry processes (Arshad, Abdul-Malek, Munir et al., 2020).
Some technical challenges, economic drawbacks, market adoption,
regulatory implications and toxicity risks remain and need to be
resolved, especially those applications from food industry which need
intense PEF treatment. Following are the main limitations for adaptation
of this technology:
(a) Shortage of reliable and more practical electrical systems is
recognized as the key restriction for the commercial approval of
PEF. So, there is a great potential to improve process design from
energy efficiency.
(b) Treatment chamber leads to fouling and corrosion of these elec­
trodes, chemical changes, migration of electrode material
51
Trends in Food Science & Technology 111 (2021) 43–54
components, electrolysis of water, which may disturb the product
during the treatment (Arshad, Abdul-Malek, Munir et al., 2020).
(c) Limited defined protocols also limit to compare data across lab­
oratory scale to commercial scale; incorrectly selected PEF
treatment parameters can result in the ineffective treatment.
Decrease of the content of the bioactive compound (Timmermans
et al., 2019).
(d) Specific internal energy (J/kg) efficiency for different food ap­
plications is not yet certain
(e) Higher electricity consumption generates more equivalent CO2
emissions, so utilizing renewable energy is a significant concern
for all processors.
(f) A part of the input electrical energy is converted to moderate heat
during the processing, which may affect the quality of the product
(Aadil et al., 2018).
(g) PEF was widely investigated, and there are some commercial PEF
systems, which are already working in different countries, while
attained results still refer to the experiments was executed at the
laboratory scale.
4. Conclusion and future aspects
In food processing, research regarding the application of PEF pro­
poses that PEF (alone/combination) combined with other treatments
inactivate the microorganisms and extract the active constituents and
modify the biomacromolecules that enhances the chemical reactions
and accelerate aging of fermented food prodcuts. PEF has been estab­
lished to respond to the ’consumers’ demands for superior sensory and
quality attributes, such as taste, extended storage, higher nutritious,
healthy, and eco-friendly processing. PEF-based food processing gener­
ates a lesser amount of industrial wastes relative to conventional tech­
nologies. It also provides enhanced food products with energy
efficiency, water conservation, and low to no harmful gas emissions
compared to thermal processing. Additional efforts require interdisci­
plinary collaboration among researchers from different science and
engineering domains to model electroporation-related phenomena. The
optimization of PEF protocols focuses on economic measures like the
additional gas yield for the applied energy, the reduction in hydraulic
retention time, and the final content of bio-solids after digestion. As a
whole, PEF is a useful and sustainable technology for food processing.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education
(MOHE) Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) with grant
Vot. Number: 13H14. Dr Zhi-Wei Liu is grateful to receive the funding
from the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province
(2019JJ50266).
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