Open Access

Stefan Töpfl, Claudia Siemer, Volker Heinz

• Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) processing has been investigated in the past for gentle preservation and for the disintegration of biological tissue. The principle is based on polarization of the cell membrane by an external electric field, which results in electroporation. This increases the permeability of the membrane, which positively affects processes in which mass transfer is important. Extraction, such as sugar from sugar beet or juice from fruit, aims to separate ingredients from a matrix. By disintegrating the cells by PEF, a facilitated extraction of sugar or a higher juice yield can be achieved. Beneficial effects were also observed during water removal, as the drying time or the drying temperature can be reduced using PEF as a pre-treatment. Furthermore, a softening of PEF-treated tissue was observed, which can be highly beneficial for the vegetable industry such as in processing French fries or potato chips. The cutting force is reduced and smoother surface with less breakage can be achieved. The chapter gives an overview on the effects achieved in the PEF treatment of solid material.