Radio frequency food processing. Current status and perspectives – a review

Abstract

The present review provides a critical overview of the current status and prospects for the development and application of radio frequency food processing. The mechanism of action of radio frequency treatment, the dielectric properties of foods, the mechanisms for inactivating microorganisms and endogenous enzyme systems, the sensory and physicochemical changes occurring in radio frequency treated foods, as well as the application of radio frequency treatment in the food industry are discussed. Radio frequency processing technology has been found to have some advantages over conventional heat exchange systems in terms of time savings, higher profitability and better efficiency. In the available literature, the conducting of additional studies regarding the package violation and its permeability and integrity during radio frequency processing were discussed. Radio frequency heating has been shown to effectively eliminate pathogens and preserve better, physicochemical and sensory properties of food products compared to conventional heating due to shorter processing time. It is concluded that radio frequency energy heating is suitable for processing packaged foods that remain safe and stable during storage. For these reasons, it is concluded that radio frequency food processing has a very bright future.