Validation of a novel high impedance electroporation device for food and agricultural applications

脉冲电场（PEF）是一种成熟的细胞电穿孔方法，在生命科学研究和医学应用中用于基因转移和化疗。PEF也发展成为食品加工中的一种新型单元操作。该技术应用于植物材料的提取或干燥，以及液体食品的保存。与传统技术相比，PEF的优点包括改善营养物质的保留，减少能源消耗。然而，由于与PEF传导电流相关的电化学副产物，PEF的商业附加应用经常失败。HIECO公司开发了一种新型的电穿孔装置，称为高阻抗电极（HIE），它在提供PEF的同时基本上避免了传导电流的流动。这种新型装置允许在不加热基体的情况下进行PEF处理，并且与传统的PEF方法相比，进一步降低了能耗。然而，由于过去的研究采用了传统的PEF装置，将PEF与热效应和电流相结合，因此无法从现有的实验数据中得出新的PEF装置对生物膜的影响。该项目旨在确定这种新型电穿孔装置的杀菌和杀真菌效果，与商业脉冲电场处理装置相比，该装置提供的电脉冲电流更小。验证新型电穿孔装置的杀菌效果，随后进行应用开发，将有助于创造一种国际需求存在的新产品。成功的应用程序开发和营销将在加拿大创造长期的制造业就业机会。

Pulsed electric fields (PEF) are a well-developed method of cellular electroporation and are used for gene transfer and chemotherapy in life science research and medical applications. PEF have also evolved as a novel unit operation in food processing. The technology is applied in extraction or drying of plant material, and for preservation of liquid foods. Advantages of PEF over conventional technologies include the improved retention of nutrients, and reduced energy consumption. However, commercial additional applications of PEF have often failed due to electrochemical by-products associated with PEF conduction current. HIECO Ltd. has developed a novel electroporation device called high impedence electrode (HIE) that delivers PEF while essentially avoiding the flow of conduction current. This novel device allows PEF treatment without heating of the matrix, and further reduces energy consumption over conventional PEF methods. However, because past studies employed conventional PEF units combining PEF with thermal effects and current flow, the effects of the new PEF device on biological membranes cannot be derived from available experimental data. The project aims to determine the bactericidal and fungicidal effects of this novel electroporation device that delivers electrical pulses with reduced current flow when compared to commercial units for pulsed electrical field treatment. Validation of the bactericidal effect of the novel electroporation device, followed by application development, will contribute to the creation of a new product for which international demand exists. Successful application development and marketing will create long term manufacturing employment in Canada.