Shifting the processing boundary: On-Farm Pulsed Electric Field Intervention (OFPI) for proactive bioburden reduction and functionalization of raw milk

Background The dairy industry has long grappled with a technological paradox, while traditional thermal processing ensures microbial safety but inevitably causes irreversible denaturation of heat-sensitive bioactive components, transforming dynamic biological fluids into monotonous commodities. With surging consumer demand for minimally processed foods, the industry urgently requires innovative processing technologies. These proposals must effectively separate microbial inactivation from thermal degradation of fragile active nutrients, preserving the nutritional value of milk while ensuring safety. Scope and approach This review focuses on evaluating the feasibility of pulsed electric field (PEF) technology as an advanced thermo-electrical synergy solution in milk processing. Systematically analyzes the engineering principles, equipment fundamentals and electrochemical risks of continuous-flow PEF. Comprehensively examines the sterilization efficacy driven primarily by electroporation, and explores the precise protection and functional regulation of bioactive components in milk by PEF. Furthermore, innovatively proposes an “On-Farm PEF Intervention” (OFPI) engineering model and systematically analyzes the engineering challenges associated with its implementation to reconfigure the spatial layout of the supply chain. Key findings and conclusions PEF has achieved effective sterilization at mild temperatures while maximizing the retention and precise regulation of bioactive components in milk. Crucially, the OFPI model may proactively reduce the initial microbial load and mitigate the risk of psychrophilic bacteria during cold-chain transportation, fundamentally addresses the issue of heat-resistant enzyme secretion and alleviates the thermal processing burden on end-processing plants. This leap from passive preservation to precision matrix engineering positions PEF as a promising candidate for a transformative industrial-grade standard in next-generation processing.