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A Comparison of Pulsed Electric Field Resistance for Three Microorganisms with Different Biological Factors in Grape Juice via Numerical Simulation

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Abstract

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is a promising nonthermal food preservation technology that is based on the use of electric field to eradicate spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in food products. The effect of various biological factors on the transmembrane potential of different microorganisms (Staphyloccocus aureus, Escherichia coli DH5α, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was investigated by means of both numerical simulation and experimental method. The PEF resistance of different microorganisms in grape juice was compared by applying field strength of 12–24 kV/cm, treatment time of 30–180 μs, and an initial temperature of 30 ºC. The results showed that S. cerevisiae exhibited the least resistance to PEF treatment, E. coli DH5α the second, and S. aureus the third. The simulation results indicated that larger cells like S. cerevisiae presented the higher values of transmembrane potential and induced field strength around the cells compared to E. coli DH5α and S. aureus, which led to a less resistance to PEF treatment. The effect of cell orientation on the induced transmembrane potential was very slight (1.67 % for E. coli DH5α and 3.43 % for S. cerevisiae). The thicker cell membrane caused concentrated electric field in the cell membrane, which enhanced the sensitivity of microorganism to PEF treatment. However, both transmembrane potential and electric field strength decreased with the thickness of cell wall increasing. According to both experimental and simulation results, it was evident that there was significant difference in the inactivation rate between different microorganisms, which could be largely attributed to the biological factors of different microorganisms.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31271613/C130102).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Kang Huang, Tingting Jiang, Wen Wang, Ling Gai & Jianping Wang

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  1. Kang Huang
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  2. Tingting Jiang
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  3. Wen Wang
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  4. Ling Gai
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  5. Jianping Wang
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Correspondence to Jianping Wang.

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Huang, K., Jiang, T., Wang, W. et al. A Comparison of Pulsed Electric Field Resistance for Three Microorganisms with Different Biological Factors in Grape Juice via Numerical Simulation. Food Bioprocess Technol 7, 1981–1995 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-014-1272-3

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