Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) to enhance the desalting of cod

Salted cod is a highly appreciated product, traditionally imported by Mediterranean countries and commercialised with different moisture content depending on the extension of the drying process. Prior to consumption, the fish must be desalted, and this step could last up to 5 days. This process is usually carried out immersing the product in stagnant water, resulting not only in the loss of salt but also in sample rehydration [1]. Market trends evolve towards ready-to-use products; thus, the cod industry should adapt to consumer requirements including the desalting step among the industrial operations. However, the industrial-scale cod desalting presents many problems mainly linked to long processing times and the quality of the final product. For this reason, many researchers have focused on finding new desalting methods to improve the mass transfer processes, such as the use of vacuum pulses [2], high pressures [3] or high-intensity ultrasounds [4]. The application of pulsed electric fields (PEF) has been proposed as an alternative method to enhance the mass transfer phenomena in many food processes. However, there is no previous literature on the use of PEF to improve the desalting of foods. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the possibility of applying PEF treatment in cod desalting from the study of mass transport kinetics.