Hannover 2010 – scientific programme

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SYMP: Symposium Plasma in Biology and Medicine

SYMP 1: Plasma in Biology and Medicine (SYMP)

SYMP 1.6: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 17:00–17:30, A 001

Pulsed electric field application as a cell disintegration and decontamination technique for food-, bio- and environmental engineering — •Volker Heinz and Stefan Toepfl — German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) e.V., Quakenbrueck, Germany

Pulsed electric field application induces permeabilization of biological membranes. This effect can be used for various applications in food and bio-processing such as improvement of mass transport or microbial inactivation. Since 2009 industrial systems are commercially available, first commercial applications have been achieved for preservation of heat sensitive liquid foodstuff. Cell disruption often is a prerequisite, e.g. for winning of intracellular substances, after treatment of plant material a release of cytoplasmic content is observed. An application to fermentation substrate allows a better access of enzymes and a reduction of reaction time during biogas production. A treatment of micro- and macroalgae results in increased extraction yield and facilitated pressing. Besides food preservation the technique is applicable for decontamination of other liquids. An application to liquid feed or nutrient media revealed the potential for a microbial inactivation while maintaining valuable constituents. The technique provides significant operational benefits in comparison to a conventional heat treatment, as heat exchangers often are limited due to biofouling of proteins and short cleaning intervals. The techniques applicability and technical requirements will be presented along with a discussion of commercial experiences.