Current and future prospects for the use of pulsed electric field in the meat industry

Abstract

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is a novel non-thermal technology that has recently attracted the attention of meat scientists and technologists due to its ability to modify membrane structure and enhance mass transfer. Several studies have confirmed the potential of pulsed electric field for improving meat tenderness in both pre-rigor and post-rigor muscles during aging. However, there is a high degree of variability between studies and the underlying mechanisms are not clearly understood. While some studies have suggested physical disruption as the main cause of PEF induced tenderness, enzymatic nature of the tenderization seems to be the most plausible mechanism. Several studies have suggested the potential of PEF to mediate the tenderization process due to its membrane altering properties causing early release of calcium ions and early activation of the calpain proteases. However, experimental research is yet to confirm this postulation. Recent studies have also reported increased post-mortem proteolysis in PEF treated muscles during aging. PEF has also been reported to accelerate curing, enhance drying and reduce the numbers of both pathogens and spoilage organisms in meat, although that demands intense processing conditions. While tenderization, meat safety and accelerated curing appears to be the areas where PEF could provide attractive options in meat processing, further research is required before the application of PEF becomes a commercial reality in the meat industry. It needs to deal with carcasses which vary biochemically and in composition (muscle, fat, and bones). This review critically evaluates the published reports on the topic with the aim of reaching a clear understanding of the possible applications of PEF in the meat sector in addition to providing some insight on critical issues that need to be addressed for the technology to be a practical option for the meat industry.

Applied and Emerging Methods for Meat Tenderization: A Comparative Perspective

“…Flavor, juiciness, and tenderness are the three main attributes which influence the sensory enjoyment of meat (Aaslyng & Meinert, ; Grunert, Bredahl, & Brunsø, ; Picard and Gagaoua ). Defined as “the ease, perceived by the consumer, with which meat structure is disorganized during mastication (Lepetit & Culioli, ), tenderness has been shown to have the largest role in consumer purchasing decisions (Mennecke, Townsend, Hayes, & Lonergan, ; Morton, Bhat, & Bekhit, ; Mullena et al., ; Wang, Han, Ma, Yu, & Zhao, ; Wu, Fu, Therkildsen, Li X, & Dai, ) and in particular repeat buying (Miller, Carr, Ramsey, Crockett, & Hoover, ).” It is also the most variable of all meat palatability traits and is influenced by a range of biological and environmental factors. The high level of variation in sensory qualities represents a major cause of consumer dissatisfaction with beef (Ellies‐Oury et al., ) with variability of tenderness as the largest concern (Picard & Gagaoua, ).…”

“…PEF is a novel technology that was first applied commercially to sterilize fruit juice (Clark, ). During PEF processing, food is passed through or placed between two electrodes and exposed to electric field pulses of short duration in the range of several nanoseconds to several milliseconds with an electric field strength of 0.1 to 80 kV/cm (Barba and others ; Bhat, Morton, Mason, & Bekhit, ; Puértolas & Barba, ). The shorter processing time and lower treatment temperatures of PEF compared to traditional processing technologies and the potential for continuous flow (Puertolas, Saldana, Condon, Alvarez, & Raso, ; Walkling‐Ribeiro, Rodríguez‐Gonzalez, Jayaram, & Griffiths, ) make it a very appealing technology for food processors (Bhat et al., ).…”

“…During PEF processing, food is passed through or placed between two electrodes and exposed to electric field pulses of short duration in the range of several nanoseconds to several milliseconds with an electric field strength of 0.1 to 80 kV/cm (Barba and others ; Bhat, Morton, Mason, & Bekhit, ; Puértolas & Barba, ). The shorter processing time and lower treatment temperatures of PEF compared to traditional processing technologies and the potential for continuous flow (Puertolas, Saldana, Condon, Alvarez, & Raso, ; Walkling‐Ribeiro, Rodríguez‐Gonzalez, Jayaram, & Griffiths, ) make it a very appealing technology for food processors (Bhat et al., ). PEF has attracted the attention of meat scientists due to its ability to alter membrane properties (Barba, Grimi, & Vorobiev, ; Bhat et al., ; Deng et al., ) and potentially affect the activity of calpains and thus influence the rate and extent of tenderization during aging.…”

“…The shorter processing time and lower treatment temperatures of PEF compared to traditional processing technologies and the potential for continuous flow (Puertolas, Saldana, Condon, Alvarez, & Raso, ; Walkling‐Ribeiro, Rodríguez‐Gonzalez, Jayaram, & Griffiths, ) make it a very appealing technology for food processors (Bhat et al., ). PEF has attracted the attention of meat scientists due to its ability to alter membrane properties (Barba, Grimi, & Vorobiev, ; Bhat et al., ; Deng et al., ) and potentially affect the activity of calpains and thus influence the rate and extent of tenderization during aging. It is also able to modify several quality characteristics of meat (such as color, texture, and water‐holding capacity) and enhance mass transfer processes (such as brining and curing) due to its potential for cell membrane permeabilization (Gudmundsson & Hafsteinsson, ; O'Dowd, Arimi, Noci, Cronin, & Lyng, ; McDonnell, Allen, Chardonnereau, Arimi, & Lyng, ).…”

“…It is also able to modify several quality characteristics of meat (such as color, texture, and water‐holding capacity) and enhance mass transfer processes (such as brining and curing) due to its potential for cell membrane permeabilization (Gudmundsson & Hafsteinsson, ; O'Dowd, Arimi, Noci, Cronin, & Lyng, ; McDonnell, Allen, Chardonnereau, Arimi, & Lyng, ). As the wider use of PEF in meat has been reviewed recently (Bhat et al., ) this paper will focus on tenderness.…”