Effect of radio frequency heating on the sterilization and product quality of vacuum packaged Caixin

•RF heating has the potential to be a sterilization method.•Vacuum packaged Caixin was RF heated at 6 kW, 27.12 MHz.•The RF treatment of 30 mm/20 min reduced the total colony number by 3–4 log.•The RF treatment did not affect the product quality of Caixin.

Radio frequency (RF) heating has the potential to be developed as a sterilization method to control microbes of food products. In the present work, the effects of RF heating on the sterilization and product quality of vacuum packaged Caixin (Brassica campestris L.) were investigated. With the addition of salts and other food additives, the dielectric constant (ɛ′) and loss factor (ɛ″) of Caixin were increased, which was helpful to increase the temperature during RF heating. The results indicated that, coupled with a hot air drying of 60 °C, RF heating at 6 kW, 27.12 MHz and 20 mm/20 min might be the most appropriate conditions to improve the microbial safety of Caixin whereas the physico-chemical and sensory qualities were not compromised.