Destruction of living cells by pulsed high-voltage application

Destruction of living cells in liquid has been formed by pulsed high-voltage application to the liquid. S. cerevsaie (yeast cell) or Bacillus natto, dispersed in deionized water and one- and three-percent NaCl solution, were used in this experiment. Four different electrodes (plate-plate, needle-plate wire-cylinder, and rod-rod electrode) were tested. The survival rate of cells was measured against peak electric field E_p pulsewidth T _W, and pulse application number N. The experimental results indicate that the survivability roughly follows Weilbull distribution. Yeast cells dispersed in deionized water could be almost completely destroyed when the wire-cylinder electrode was used with E_p=20 kV/cm, T_W=100 μs, and N=200. The energy input to a unit volume of the liquid to complete the cell destruction, however, differed significantly with the electrode type. The wire-cylinder electrode required above 10-30 cal/cm ³ to destroy the yeast cell in deionized water to 10^-6 survivability. This value was less than that required more than 70 cal/cm³. Using the rod-rod electrode contained in a pressure vessel, an arc discharge was generated to produce an intensive shock wave, which also destroyed the cells by its mechanical force. In this case, 5-10 cal/cm³ of energy was required to decrease the survivability of yeast cells in deionized water to 10^-6. Though further studies are necessary, this results indicate a possibility of the cell destruction by pulsed high voltage to be used as an energy-efficient sterilization process