Radio-Frequency Heating in Food Processing
Principles and Applications
Electro-Technologies for Food Processing Series

Radio-Frequency Heating in Food Processing: Principles and Applications covers the fundamentals of radio-frequency (RF) heating and the use of RF-heating technologies in modern food processing, preservation, and related industries. Focusing on industrial and lab-scale applications where RF heating has been employed successfully or reported to have potential benefits over conventional heating options, this state-of-the-art reference:

• Explains the similarities, differences, advantages, and limitations of RF and microwave heating as applied to agricultural products
• Describes fiber-optics temperature sensors and their utility in monitoring temperature during RF and microwave heating
• Discusses the dielectric and thermo-physical properties of agricultural products amenable to RF and microwave heating, presenting measurement techniques, mathematical concepts, and computer simulation models
• Provides practical perspectives on industrial RF units used in manufacturing food products, addressing free-running oscillators and 50-? designs for RF heaters and applicators
• Uses finite-element formulations to determine design parameters including resonant modes, circuit impedance, and electric field distribution in RF applicators
• Examines RF-heating effects on microorganisms, enzymes, and food quality attributes for products such as poultry, beef, pork, eggs, fish, milk, fruits, vegetables, and seafood
• Explores RF-heating applications beyond food processing, such as agricultural product deinfestation, waste treatment, counterfeit prevention, package tracking, and transportation of food from farm to table

Radio-Frequency Heating in Food Processing: Principles and Applications supplies an in-depth overview of the fundamental science and engineering principles governing RF applications, as well as a solid understanding of industrial RF unit design options, challenges, and opportunities for development.

Principles of Radio-Frequency and Microwave Heating. Radio-Frequency and Microwave Applications: Similarities, Advantages, and Limitations. Temperature Measurement in Radio-Frequency Applications. Dielectric Properties of Agricultural Products: Fundamental Principles, Influencing Factors, and Measurement Techniques. Electrical Conductivity Effect on Dielectric Properties and Radio-Frequency Heating. The Industrial Radio-Frequency Heater. The RF 50 Ω Technology versus Variable-Frequency RF Technology. Analysis of Radio-Frequency Industrial Heating Systems Using Computational Techniques. Modeling Electro-Assisted Processing Using Computational Fluid Dynamics. Radio Frequency Heating Effects on Microbial Destruction. Effect of Radio-Frequency Heating on Food Quality Factors. Radio-Frequency Drying of Food Materials. Radio-Frequency Baking and Roasting of Food Products. Radio-Frequency Thawing and Tempering. Radio-Frequency Pasteurization and Sterilization of Packaged Foods. Radio-Frequency Heating of Dry Foods and Agricultural Commodities. Applications of Radio-Frequency Heating to Meat, Fish, and Poultry Products. Application of Radio-Frequency Heating of Milk and Dairy Products. RF Treatment of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. RF Deinfestation (Pest Control) of Agricultural Products. Radio Frequency Treatment of Food-Related Materials, Waste, and By-Products. Radio Frequency in Packaging, Inventory Control, and Tracking in the Food-Processing Industry.

George B. Awuah is currently the thermal process manager and process authority for Mars Petcare US, Franklin, Tennessee. He holds a B.Sc (Hon) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and a Ph.D from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He previously taught at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology; was a scientist and senior scientist at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Washington, District of Columbia, USA; served as a research associate at McGill University; and collaborated with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, Ontario. Widely published, Dr. Awuah is a member of the Institute for Thermal Processing Specialists and Institute of Food Technologists.

Hosahalli S. Ramaswamy holds a BS from Bangalore University, India; an MS from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India; and an MS and Ph.D from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He is professor of food processing at McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada. During his 25 years at McGill, he has established several research programs in postharvest technology and food processing. Widely published and highly decorated, Dr. Ramaswamy is a popular keynote speaker, the editor of the Journal of Food Engineering, and a member of numerous boards and professional societies and a recipient of several awards, the recent ones being the Marvin Tung Award (IFTPS), fellow of CIFST, and fellow IUFoST. Recently, he led the Canadian team to win the bid to bring the 2015 International Congress of Food Engineering to Canada.

Juming Tang is Regents professor and distinguished chair of food engineering at Washington State University, Pullman, USA. He has more than 20 years of research experience in areas of thermal processing using microwave and radio-frequency energy for food safety and pest control applications, in close collaboration with equipment and processing companies, related