Ohmic Heating is an Alternative Preservation Technique-A Review

Ohmic heating offers an alternating to conventional heating because it simultaneously heats both phases by internal energy generated through electrical energy. In this process heating rate depends upon the electrical conductivity and field strength. By this method a product undergoes a minimum structural damage, retain its nutritional value. This technique gives excellent processed quality products in minimum operating time. Electrical conductivity of food products is linear with different temperature range. Energy during ohmic heating is dissipated directly into the foods. Ohmic heating can be utilized in different preprocessing and processing operations like blanching, evaporation, dehydration, fermentation, extraction, sterilization, pasteurization etc. Additionally research revealed that there is no protein denaturation at high temperature when heated with ohmic heating, also in the presence of starch, unusual conductivity behaviors found due to starch gelatinization.