Reversible electroporation caused by pulsed electric field – Opportunities and challenges for the food sector

Background: The application of Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) to food may result in reversible or irreversible electroporation of cell membranes, depending on whether cell homeostasis is restored after resealing. Restoration of homeostasis upon reversible electroporation implies the recovery of the pre-pulse transmembrane potential and the restoration of cell metabolic functions. Enhanced membrane permeability caused by reversible electroporation would allow impregnation of cells with foreign molecules and/or stress-induced metabolic reactions. The impregnation of cells and the induction of stress in cells could open new opportunities for the application of PEF in the food industry. Scope and approach: Most of the published literature on the application of PEF in food systems focuses on the irreversible process, mainly targeting cold pasteurization or mass/heat transfer enhancement. This review focuses on the application of reversible electroporation to enhance metabolic production of secondary metabolites, to accelerate seed germination and fermentation, and as pre-treatment prior to freezing and drying. Finally, the challenges for industrial application of this technology are discussed. Key findings and conclusions: The application of reversible electroporation as a pre-treatment prior to unit operations in the food industry has the potential to improve the quality of the final product in terms of structure, nutritional value or increased productivity. However, its industrial application faces several challenges, related to difficulties in process optimization, scale-up and equipment design. Therefore, significant efforts are still required to apply reversible electroporation on an industrial scale in the future.