Owing to their rich nutritive value, eggs serve as potential hosts to pathogenic microbes like Salmonella enteritidis. Administering heat treatments is the best solution for controlling these pathogens. However, heating affects the quality of the egg due to denaturation of proteins. Therefore a technique which causes minimal changes to the functional properties of the egg protein needs consideration.;In this study, the suitability of Radio frequency (RF) treatments of eggs is evaluated for effectiveness in terms of reducing/eliminating the microbial load. Finite difference time domains (FDTD) and Finite element models (FEM) were developed based on preliminary laboratory trials to simulate the electric field and temperature distribution in the egg components keeping in mind the dielectric properties, shape and composition of in-shell eggs.;Laboratory scale experiments were conducted to determine the dielectric properties of individual egg components followed by an investigation of the heating rates of individual egg components as well as intact in-shell eggs at different electric field strengths, where the electrode voltages are 2.5 kV, 3.5 kV and 4.25 kV with 60 mm spacing between the electrodes. The heating trends were then analyzed to obtain the time required to attain the targeted temperature. Models for calculating the dielectric parameters were presented.;As heat treatments invariably affect the functional properties of eggs the heat induced changes with respect to properties like foam stability, foam density, viscosity and turbidity were studied and compared with the physical properties of raw eggs. RF treated eggs showed minimal changes at lower power levels. However the change in properties was more pronounced at higher power levels. The coagulation taking place within the eggs at higher power levels with a view to assessing the quality of heat treated eggs was studied by means of hyperspectral imaging (400-1700 nm).;The heat treatment process was validated by inoculating egg with a microbial contaminant and treating them in an RF applicator. The results indicated that RF heating may possibly serve as a way to pasteurize the eggs provided the process is improved and optimized to reach the required pasteurization temperature with minimum damage to the functional properties of the egg..
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