Novel research in food industry, has led to the development of new, milder processing techniques to respond to the market’s demand for products with enhanced nutritional properties. One of the most promising methods is Pulsed Electric Field (PEF), where products are placed between two electrodes and electrical currents are applied for short time intervals. PEF can be used for various purposes including to enhance preservation, to improve nutritional quality, and to increase extraction yields.

PEF does affect the cells of food products, inducing structural modifications and membrane disruptions. However, due to the short application time, PEF technology has a milder effect with less negative alterations to food products compared to thermal and other electrical-based techniques. The possibility of using PEF applications in the fish industry were also investigated. They found that using PEF is more sustainable and efficient with minimal effect on product properties and preserving functional components. In addition, PEF appears to be a promising alternative for fish side stream valorization, as it improves extraction efficiency of high-value components as well as the processing times. These last findings are of great interest for the AQUABIOPRO-FIT project.

The main barrier for wide application in the commercial fish industry is the high investment initially required. However, researchers believe that due to its energy efficiency and the wide range of applications, this method will soon be implemented as a single treatment or in combination with other novel technologies at industrial level.

AQUABIOPRO-FIT partner, University of Valencia contributed to this research on identifying the benefits of using Pulse Electric Field on fish and meat. The full article can be found here:

Gomez et al (2019) Application of pulsed electric fields in meat and fish processing industries: An overview