OHMIC Heating

History
The thermal effects of
electricity within a
conductor was first
elucidated by James
Prescott Joule in 1841.
James prescott joule
Early applications
Early 20th Century: Ohmic Heating was first used to
pasteurize milk
1920s: Electro-Pure was introduced
1930s: Electric-pasteurization was utilized in 6 states in the
USA
1950s: Decline of electric-pasteurization
1980s: APV Baker Ltd. patents Ohmic Heating from the
Electricity Research and Development Centre in the UK
 PRINCIPLE
(Definition)

Ohmic heating heats both Electrical Resistance Heating

liquid and solid phases of food Direct Electrical Resistance
simultaneously by internal Heating
energy generated from Joule Heating
electrical power. Electro Conductive Heating
Distinguishing factors from other
electrical heating methods
Electrodes in contact with the food
Waveform
Frequency
 Ionic movement

Ionic movement
during ohmic
heating of a liquid
material

(Jafarpour & Hashemi, 2022)

 Ohmic heating system

ohms law

V=IR
V : Voltage (volts)
I: Current strength (amperes)
R: Resistance (ohms)
AC
(Aurina & Sari, 2022)
Electrical conductivity

Measures how well electrical charges move

expressed in mhos/meter
Dependent on:
Temperature
Ionic bond dissociation
Electric field density
(Varghese et al., 2012)
 Factors affecting
conductivity of food
Temperature (high temperature, less viscous)
Voltage gradient
Concentration of food composition

To increase electrical conductivity

add ionic substances
To decrease electrical conductivity
add nonpolar components
aDVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF OHMIC HEATING
 Advantages DIsadvantages
1. Rapid uniform heating of 1. Lack of generalized
liquid with faster heating information
rates 2. Narrow frequency band
2. Reduced problems of 3. Difficult to monitor and
surface fouling control
3. Low maintenance costs 4. Complex coupling between
and high energy the temperature and
conversion efficiencies electrical field distribution
4. A quiet, environmentally
friendly system
Applications

(Jafarpour & Hashem, 2022)

 pasteurization/
sterilization
Widely adopted for ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization (Varghese et
al., 2012)
Pasteurization using ohmic heating ensures microbial control by targeting
acid producers such as streptococci, lactobacilli, microbacteria, etc. Gas
producers such as coliforms are eliminated. Ropy fermentation
microorganisms, proteolytic organisms, and lipolytic organisms are
effectively controlled (Silva et al., 2017)
 Thawing/
blanching
Thawing of shrimp blocks without increase in moisture content of the
product (Balaban et al., 1994)
Thawing frozen meat provides less weight loss (Duygu & Ümit, 2015)
Blanching by ohmic heating may considerably reduce the extent of
solute leaching in a short blanching time regardless of the shape and
the size of the product (Mizrahi, 1996)
 Cooking
Cooking pasta (Turgut et al., 2021)
Lower energy consumption
Faster cooking time
Cooking beef Zell et al., 2010)
Less cook loss
 Extraction
Extraction of sucrose from sugar beets (Katrokha et al., 1984)
Extraction of soymilk from soybeans (Kim & Pyun, 1995)
Ohmic heating of apple tissue prior to mechanical juice
extraction (Kim & Pyun, 1995 ; Lima & Sastry, 1999 ; Wang &
Sastry, 2000)
Extraction of rice bran oil (Lakkakula et al., 2004)
 Benefits of ohmic heating-
assisted extraction
Energy efficient
Minimized processing time
Better process control
Preserved color and nutritional components
Higher yield
Antioxidant and antibacterial activities
 Fermentation

Coffee fermentation (Reta et al., 2017)

Cocoa fermentation (Risqan et al., 2017)
Pulque fermentation (Alcantara-Zavala et al., 2019)
 Accelerate batch fermentation
Parameters for ohmic heating assisted fermentation
Type of microorganisms
Type of substrate
Desired fermentation product

Ohmic based fermenter

High energy efficiency
Can perform batch and
continuous fermentation
High uniformity of
temperature distribution
(Sagita et al., 2020)
Future of Ohmic
Heating
 Increased Efficiency
Optimizing electrode configurations, developing more conductive
materials, and reducing energy losses during the process.

Process Innovation
Continued research and development may lead to innovative
applications and new processes that benefit from ohmic heating.
 Integration with Renewable Energy
This combination can contribute to a greener and more efficient
heating process.
Customization and Control
This could include intelligent monitoring, feedback control
mechanisms, and the ability to adjust heating profiles for specific
applications.
Limitations of
Ohmic Heating
 Electrode Fouling
This fouling can reduce the efficiency of the process and require
periodic maintenance or cleaning.

High Initial Investment

The need for specialized equipment, electrical infrastructure, and
safety measures may limit its adoption in specific sectors.

Material Compatibility
This limits its use to specific applications and restricts its potential in
certain industries.
 Electrical Safety
Adequate safety measures and protocols must be in place to ensure
the protection of operators and the surrounding environment.

Energy Consumption
Efforts to optimize energy consumption and improve overall
efficiency are necessary to address this limitation.
 references
Alkanan, Z. T., Altemimi, A. B., Al-Hilphy, A. R. S., Watson, D. K., & Singh, A. P. (2021). Ohmic Heating in the Food Industry: Developments in Concepts and Applications during 2013–2020. Applied Sciences, 11(6), 2507.
https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062507

Aurina, K., & Sari, A. R. (2022). Ohmic Heating: A Review and Application in Food Industry. In Advances in biological sciences research. Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/absr.k.220305.016

Balaban, M. O., Henderson, T., Teixeira, A., & Otwell, W. S. (1994). Ohmic thawing of shrimp blocks. In Developments in Food Engineering: Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on Engineering and Food
(pp. 307-309). Springer US.

Duygu, B., & Ümit, G. (2015). Application of ohmic heating system in meat thawing. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 195, 2822-2828.

Fadl, Mohamed & Liu, Shuli. (2014). A comprehensive review on applications of ohmic heating (OH). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 39. 262–269. 10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.061.

Jafarpour, D., & Hashemi, S. M. (2022). Ohmic heating application in food processing: Recent achievements and perspectives. Foods and Raw Materials, 216–223. https://doi.org/10.21603/2308-4057-2022-2-531

Jambrak, A. R., & Tiwari, B. K. (2020). Moderate electric fields and ohmic heating as promising fermentation tools. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 64, 102422.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2020.102422

Mizrahi, S. (1996). Leaching of soluble solids during blanching of vegetables by ohmic heating. Journal of food engineering, 29(2), 153-166.

Ramaswamy, H. S., Marcotte, M., Sastry, S. K., & Abdelrahim, K. (2014). Ohmic Heating in Food Processing. CRC Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1201/b16605

Silva, V. L., Santos, L. M., & Silva, A. M. (2017). Ohmic heating: An emerging concept in organic synthesis. Chemistry–A European Journal, 23(33), 7853-7865.

Varghese, K. S., Pandey, M., Radhakrishna, K., & Bawa, A. S. (2012). Technology, applications and modelling of ohmic heating: a review. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 51(10), 2304–2317.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-012-0710-3