High Impedance Electroporation

A Cold Pasteurization Process

High Impedance Electroporation (HIE)

HIE is a device that pasteurizes liquid foods at storage or transport temperatures. It
kills bacteria by means of electroporation, a cold electromechanical process
designed to replace high temperature thermal pasteurization. HIE uses a fraction of
the energy required for thermal pasteurization, having the potential to significantly
reduce processing costs for dairies, breweries, bottled water, juice, and other liquid
food processors. HIE cold pasteurization preserves the original flavor, aroma, color,
nutrition, and other product qualities that are degraded during high temperature
thermal pasteurization.

The Company
May-Ruben Technologies was founded to continue the tradition of its parent
company, the AMC Group of companies, to be a pioneer in a variety of industries via
their technology innovation mandate. Our focus is on technologies that save energy
and improve the quality of life of people around the world, especially in developing
countries. Our commitment is to produce technology with a conscience.
With offices in both Canada and the United States we are proud to work in
environments that support knowledge-based economies and industry
diversification.

The Technology
Biological membranes are remarkably robust, serving as a structural, chemical, and
electrical barrier. The integrity of the membrane is paramount to cell viability.
Electroporation is a process whereby the membrane of a cell is mechanically
perforated by action of an applied electric field. If a field of sufficient intensity and
duration is applied to a cell, membrane integrity is severely disturbed causing lysis
and death. Traditional electroporation is accomplished by employing bare metallic
electrodes in direct contact with the fluid under treatment. This type of
electroporation, called Pulsed Electric Field (PEF), has been used for decades in
clinical settings to cause transfection (non-lethal) and disruption/lysis (lethal) effects
on single celled organisms. However, these devices do not scale for commercial
pasteurization because of excessive energy consumption, excessive fluid heating,
electrolysis (notably hydrogen gas production) and the degradation of electrodes by
oxidation/reduction electrochemistry. Clinical electroporation and commercial PEF
are termed Low Impedance Electroporation (LIE), owing to the low impedance of the
bare metal electrodes and the conduction current that flows directly through the
fluid under treatment.

By contrast, HIE employs non-conductive, high impedance electrodes, that are

coated with a ceramic dielectric barrier. Like PEF the applied field is transient
(pulsed), however, the HIE field is accompanied by displacement current instead of
conduction current. This pre-empts excessive fluid heating (ohmic), electrolysis, and
electrode degradation from oxidation/reduction. In addition, HIE consumes much
less energy than PEF, and up to 90% less energy than conventional thermal
pasteurization. Since no conduction current flows through the fluid under treatment,
HIE does not degenerate flavor, aroma, color, pH, or the nutrient content of liquid

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foods. Proteins, fats, and oils are not cooked in the HIE process. Inlet liquid
temperatures can be as low as 4° C, and depending upon process variables, HIE will
only raise fluid temperature by 3° to 12° C.

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The Equipment
HIE cold pasteurization is a much simpler operation than thermal pasteurization.
Compared to large, complicated boilers, chillers, and heat recovery equipment
currently in use, an HIE system only needs to provide liquid flow through the
processing plant, and a power supply. The flow section of the HIE system resembles
an open grid, which can be plumbed directly in process flow piping. The system will
be fully instrumented, including a differential conductivity sensor/recorder used to
monitor pasteurization efficacy in real time (similar to thermal pasteurization
tracking time and temperature). Because HIE is solid state with few parts, e.g.
reaction flow grid, power supply, and instrumentation, its capital, installation, and
maintenance costs are much lower than any thermal pasteurization system. HIE
operational cost can be as much as 90% lower than thermal pasteurization
depending upon the type of liquid food being processed and flow conditions.

FDA Certification
In 2002 a US law was passed that mandated effective alternatives to thermal
pasteurization be allowed in the processing of foodstuffs, provided they could
demonstrate equal effectiveness with regard to public health requirements. In
response to this law, the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for
Foods (NACMCF) has identified electroporation as a promising alternate technology
that warrants continued development. In 2005, the USFDA approved LIE
electroporation (PEF type) for commercial juice pasteurization, issuing an operating
permit to Genesis Juice in Oregon. Since the mechanism for killing bacteria is
exactly the same for HIE as for all types of LIE, including PEF, we expect rapid
regulatory approval and licensing for any liquid food or water.

Further Interest
We invite you and your organization to participate in the development of this
seminal technology. If you are interested in further technical or business
development information, please call or write to the contact information listed
below. We are currently seeking research and development collaborative
relationships, as well as future beta system testing locations. We invite you to be a
part of the next generation cold pasteurization technology: High Impedance
Electroporation.

Technologies with a Conscience

May-Ruben Technologies
1827 14th Street SW,
Calgary, Alberta
Canada T2T 3T1

Telephone: 1-866-910-3291 Facsimile: (403) 244-0442

E-mail: ssimpson@may-rubentechnologies.com

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