Abstract
Heat treatment is commonly used to inactivate microorganisms in liquid foods in order to improve food safety and extend shelf life. However, heat treatment to kill spores also causes thermal damage to the food, which can adversely affect the flavor and lead to loss of nutrients. We developed an apparatus to apply a high electric field AC (HEF-AC) that inactivates heat-resistant microbe spores in liquid food while preserving the freshness of raw food.