ABSTRACT
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Radio-frequency (RF) technology has emerged as one of the most-promising technologies for the foodprocessing industry. Previously used mainly in the eld of telecommunications, RF technology has advanced into other elds, including sterilization and pasteurization of food; disinfestation of agrifood products; drying of food, wood, paper leather, medical instruments; and, most recently, extraction of nutraceuticals (Izadifar and Baik, 2008; Izadifar et al., 2009). Speed, efciency, safety, and costeffectiveness are some of the advantages offered by this system. To ensure its reliability, efciency, safety, and suitability in being scaled-up for industrial applications, comprehensive studies are required to fully comprehend this technology. For understanding the effect of electrical conductivity on dielectric properties and RF heating, a brief overview on RF and dielectric properties is rst presented in this chapter, followed by a review of the rare published research relating conductivity with RF.
