An Overview of Ohmic Heating Technology and Its Application in Food Industry

Abstract

Due to the increasing population growth today, the need for new technologies for better food processing is felt more and more. New thermal and non-thermal technologies based on physical techniques for food preservation have the ability to meet consumer demands and deliver processed foods with high quality and long shelf life, without additives. Among these heating and food processing methods are Pushed Electric Fields (PDE), High Voltage Electric Fields (HVED), Moderate Electric Fields (MEF), Ohmic Heating (OH), Pulsed Ohmic Heating (POH). Meanwhile, one of the great alternative methods for heating is ohmic heating. The ohmic heating process is an alternative method that uses electrodes to convert electrical energy into heat. Electrical conductivity of heating materials is one of the factors that determine the effectiveness of ohmic heating system. Ohmic heat can be produced effectively and efficiently from materials with electrical conductivity between 0.01 and 10 S/m. Currently, there is a wide use of ohmic heating potential in the food industry. Ohmic heating is most widely used in the food industry, including the inactivation of pathogens, enzymes, and the removal of some inappropriate compounds in food.

Keywords

• electrical conductivity
• food industry
• ohmic heating
• temperature