Dutch company Pulsemaster has introduced a Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) pilot-scale batch unit, under the brand name Solidus, to determine the effects of PEF on whole potato tubers dedicated for French fries and chips.
PEF treatment avoids the tissue damage. For the first time, the food and scientific sectors have an instrument to determine the impact of PEF on plant cell viability in intact plant tissues or whole solids, such as large whole potato tubers, prior to installing industrial sizedPEF systems.
Solid plant materials that have been mechanically fragmented prior to PEF treatment, such as plant tissue slices, cylinders, strips, cubes or discs, will have already experienced considerable tissues damage which is likely to impact on the nature of the PEF induced changes. This problem is now solved by using the Solidus unit.
Pulsemaster’s Solidus PEF pilot-scale batch unit allows you to determine the impact of PEF on plant cell viability in intact solid plant tissues or whole organs. With this batch system trials with PEF can be performed with whole solids, such as single potatoes, vegetables or fruits up to trials with several kgs or lbs per batch to improve food processes, to create new processes, products and to measure value.
Today PEF technology is used commercially in the potato industry. It induces electroporation, leading to increased cell membrane permeability which also affects tissue structure in a way to soften potato tissues, resulting in better cutting quality and accuracy, obtaining smoother surfaces of French fries and crisps, less product breakage and feathering, improve diffusion processes and lower oil uptake.
