Microwave volumetric heating
Microwave volumetric heating (MVH) is a method of using microwaves in a flow reactor. The process evenly heats the entire volume of a flowing liquid, suspension or semi-solid.[1] The process is known as MVH because the microwaves penetrate uniformly throughout the volume of the product being heated, thus delivering energy evenly into the body of the material.
This is in contrast to traditional thermal processing, which relies on conduction and convection from hot surfaces to deliver energy into the product. Liquids, suspensions, or semi-solids heated by MVH do not come into contact with hot surfaces; this minimizes thermal damage to functional components, and allows thick and viscous products to be heated without fouling.
Thermal processing using microwaves
The FDA accepts that conventional microwaves can be used to heat food for commercial use, pasteurization and sterilization.[2] The main mechanism of microbial inactivation by microwaves is due to thermal effect; the phenomenon of lethality due to 'non-thermal effect' is controversial, and the mechanisms suggested include selective heating of micro-organisms, electroporation, cell membrane rupture, and cell lysis due to electromagnetic energy coupling.
Because microwaves transfer electromagnetic energy at a molecular level, and the vibration of the molecules creates heat through friction, it is difficult to properly check for this highly localized 'micro'-thermal effect or create conditions where study of the putative 'athermal' effect is possible.[3]
Processes
References
- ↑ Technology Strategy Board. 2012. https://connect.innovateuk.org/documents/3285671/6079410/making+waves+in+food.pdf/42a693dc-c677-43ae-a470-908615ef3885. making waves in food. Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2012.[1]. Kinetics of microbial inactivation for alternative food processing technologies – Microwave and radio frequency processing.
- ↑ Shamis (October 2012). "Review of the specific effects of microwave radiation on bacterial cells". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 96 (2): 319–25. doi:10.1007/s00253-012-4339-y. PMID 22875401.
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