A novel micro ohmic heating cell for microorganism destruction kinetic studies: Performance validation

Ohmic heating cells used for microbial destruction are typically large compared with conventional capillary tubes. Limitations of commonly used large cells include large mass, high come-up-time (CUT), lack of uniform heating, and operation at atmospheric pressure. A new 3 mL Micro Ohmic Cell (MOC) was designed and fabricated for the kinetic study of microbial spore destruction. Two tiny titanium electrodes, mounted horizontally on a T-shaped cylindrical cell with a 3 cm gap, generate a rapid heating rate up to 140 °C. Fibre optic temperature sensors were used for direct temperature monitoring during CUT and holding time. Model solutions were heated under voltage gradients up to 90 V/cm. Uniform heating was achieved under stirring conditions with less than 1 °C variation across the cell volume, and the coldest spot was identified as the liquid-air interface. CUT was evaluated as influenced by both system and product parameters, resulting in less than 50 s comparable to those obtained using capillary tubes. The newly developed MOC was validated for microbial destruction kinetic study under ohmic heating conditions using Clostridium sporogenes spores in buffer and concentrated maple sap. With its small volume, short CUT, and uniform temperature similar to capillary tubes in conventional heating, the MOC has the potential to be considered as a standard device for kinetic studies under ohmic heating.