ABSTRACT
By applying an external electric ˜eld, the orientation of polar molecules such as water may be modi˜ed. The dipole moment of water may align from random directions to the direction of the electric ˜eld vector. This chapter presents the state of the art regarding the impact of electrical disturbance in the case of phase change. Recent results obtained in the case of freezing of food models (water, water solutions) under static electric ˜eld are presented. An external ˜eld was applied to distilled water, to a water ethanol solution and to a 10% propanediol solution during freezing. Results showed that the magnitude of supercooling was reduced with higher electric ˜elds. Larger changes in the supercooling degree were observed in a range from 0 V/m to 5.0 106 V/m. The results address new challenges regarding freezing of biological food and tissues. The possible interest in terms of improvement of the size of ice crystals in frozen food is yet to be con˜rmed.
