Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology could be finding a wider range of applications across food and plant-based processing, following the granting of a European patent covering its use with plant leaves.

Elea Technology has been granted European patent EP 3 691 459 B for a process that uses PEF to influence the processing of plant leaves, including tea and tobacco. The development demonstrates how the technology can affect not only the treatment step itself, but also subsequent mechanical and biochemical processes.

PEF works by applying short pulses of electricity to plant material, modifying cell and tissue structure. In the patented leaf-processing application, this can reduce breakage during rolling while encouraging the release of endogenous enzymes.

For products such as black tea, the changes could support faster fermentation and potentially shorten overall processing times. Elea also identifies the potential for improved process efficiency and reduced energy consumption as a result of the technology.

The development is significant because it points to the potential for PEF to move beyond some of its more established food-processing applications. Rather than being viewed simply as a standalone treatment technology, PEF can be used to change the properties of raw materials in ways that influence what happens further down the production line.

That could make the technology relevant to a broader range of plant-based categories where structure, mass transfer, extraction, drying or fermentation are important process considerations.

The company says the patented approach has also progressed beyond laboratory development. The GrünPEF project supported the development of a dedicated industrial PEF system for leafy products, which has now been incorporated into Elea’s technology portfolio.

The patent therefore provides another example of how PEF is being explored as a process-enabling technology rather than simply a processing step. Its ability to alter plant tissue could offer manufacturers opportunities to rethink downstream operations, potentially opening the door to applications across additional categories and raw materials.

For food processors, the wider question is whether controlling the structure of a plant material before processing can deliver measurable improvements in quality, efficiency and resource use further along the production chain.