ABSTRACT
Ohmic heating is one of the novel thermal process technologies that involve pasteurizing or sterilizing food products by passing alternating electric current using food as a medium. The electrical resistance property of the food causes the power to be translated directly into volumetric heating. In the past the technology was used to pasteurize milk, but due to lack of inert materials for electrodes (Mizrahi et al., 1975), high processing costs (De Alwis and Fryer, 1990) and Faradaic effect, it was abandoned for some time. Lately, however, Ohmic heating has gained resumption due to the availability of a sufficient power supply, corrosion-resistant electrodes, and the production of high-quality products as compared to conventional thermally processed products. The advancement in technology of electrode production and the power supply contributes to the renaissance of Ohmic heating technology in food preservation areas. The desired electric current from the source to the food is transmitted by metal electrodes, which are designed for that specific purpose. The inertness and electrical conductivity of the electrodes are the determining factors to accomplish the desired process and production of safe food, free from any forms of contaminants. Therefore, the focus of this chapter is to discuss common electrodes used and associated effects in the Ohmic heating process.
