Advances in radio frequency pasteurisation equipment for liquid foods: a review

Radiofrequency (RF) heating is an alternative emerging technology to conventional thermal methods; it has been employed for food pasteurisation, providing fast and volumetric heating. However, non-uniformity in the heating pattern has been reported. RF pasteurisation has been studied in different liquid foods. This review provides information about the RF heating mechanism and equipment used to pasteurise liquid food to control deteriorative or pathogen micro-organisms and the effect of the RF treatment on the quality of liquid foods. Developing an effective RF pasteurisation for liquid foods requires knowing the food dielectric properties, which determine the heating uniformity, temperature distribution and heating rate. The efficiency of continuous RF heating systems could depend on the fluid rate, resident time and absorbed power. RF heating can pasteurise liquid food, decrease microbial population and preserve the product's nutritional and physicochemical quality.