Developments in Radiofrequency Processing Applications on Food of Animal Origin

Radio frequency (RF) treatment is one of the novel dielectric heating techniques for foods. It is an indirect process whereby electrical energy is initially transformed into electromagnetic radiation, which then generates heat within the food. Radiofrequency heating has been found some advantages like rapid heating or deep penetration into food compare to conventional methods. Traditional heat treatments applied to animal products can lead to quality losses, color and texture changes, overheating problems and other undesirable side effects. RF treatment has the potential to minimize these problems, improve organoleptic quality, reduce process time and save energy. Recently, the most investigated methods for animal origin foods are RF pasteurization/sterilization, RF-supported thawing methods, RF heating or cooking and the results obtained are promising. Radiofrequency technique is also investigated for following purposes; blanching, post-bake drying, roasting and disinfection. The new generation of RF studies explore other aspects, including the discovery of dielectric properties of foods, the evaluation of efficiency and quality effects, environmental sustainability of RF technologies and the improvement of RF system performance. Also combined systems are investigated such as radiofrequency-assisted cryogenic freezing. This paper reviewed principles of RF, overview situation of RF treatment methods and recent literature on RF applications on food of animal origin.