Pulsed electric field processing of meat: mechanisms, quality responses and future perspectives

Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology has emerged as a promising non-thermal processing approach for modulating food quality while minimising thermal damage. Although PEF has been widely investigated for enzyme passivation, microbial inactivation, potato processing and juice extraction, numerous studies have addressed its application in meat systems; nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms have not yet been synthesised in a systematic manner. Reported effects of PEF on key meat quality attributes, including tenderness, water-holding capacity, lipid oxidation and protein degradation, are often inconsistent, reflecting the structural complexity and heterogeneity of muscle foods. Beyond electroporation-driven membrane permeabilisation, increasing evidence indicates that PEF can induce broader electric-field-mediated responses involving redox balance, endogenous enzyme activity and protein conformational rearrangement. This review critically synthesises current knowledge on PEF principles, equipment configurations and treatment parameters, with particular emphasis on their impacts on meat microstructure, texture, biochemical stability, protein degradation and digestibility. By integrating physical mechanisms with microstructural and biochemical responses across molecular, cellular and macroscopic scales, this work highlights key factors governing PEF–meat interactions and identifies major sources of variability among studies. Future research should prioritise standardised treatment descriptors, refined monitoring of electric field distribution in heterogeneous tissues, and the rational integration of PEF with complementary technologies to accelerate industrial translation and support next-generation meat processing.