Radio frequency heating on food of animal origin: a review

Food industries use thermal treatments as a common strategy to inactivate microorganisms and enzymes, and guarantee safe products, avoiding the utilization of preservatives and solving several shelf life problems. Commercial pasteurisation usually rely on conduction or convection mechanisms, transferring the heat from the outer surfaces of a foodstuff to its interior, often leading to long process times and to surface’ dehydration phenomena and overheating. On the other hand, the direct interaction between electromagnetic energy and foods can significantly reduce the time for foodstuffs to reach the desired temperatures, and control the targeted bacteria, improving organoleptic quality, appearance, and nutritional values. The aim of this work was to review the recent applications of RF electro-heating on food of animal origin, focusing on the reported impact on safety and the general quality aspects.