Cost engineering analysis of radio frequency plus heat for in-shell egg pasteurization

Authors: Bermudez-Aguirre, Luz; SITES, JOSEPH - Retired ARS Employee; Mukhopadhyay, Sudarsan; NIEMIRA, BRENDAN - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Processes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/18/2026
Publication Date: 1/22/2026
Citation: Bermudez-Aguirre, L.D., Sites, J.E., Mukhopadhyay, S., Niemira, B. 2026. Cost engineering analysis of radio frequency plus heat for in-shell egg pasteurization. Processes. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14020379.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14020379

Interpretive Summary: A novel technology to pasteurize in-shell eggs known as radio frequency plus heat has been developed and optimized by ARS. This technology inactivates Salmonella cells inoculated inside the eggshell ensuring the food safety of the product. A preliminary engineering cost analysis of this novel approach shows that radio frequency plus heat requires a third part of the cost of electricity to pasteurize eggs in a year compared to conventional thermal treatment. Additional costs such as water and steam are also minor for radio frequency. After the evaluation of the amortization of the process, and considering two years of operation, the cost per pasteurized egg with radio frequency will be $0.19 compared to $0.22 using conventional thermal processing. This novel technology represents an option to pasteurize eggs ensuring microbial safety and quality at a reduced cost.

Technical Abstract: Salmonella spp. is a pathogenic microorganism linked to eggs and egg products. In-shell eggs are not required to be pasteurized in any country before they reach the consumer. The use of an emerging technology known as radio frequency has been successfully used to inactivate this pathogen inside in-shell eggs and claim pasteurization standards (5 – log reduction). The objective of this manuscript was to conduct the engineering cost of a radio frequency pasteurizer and compare the cost to a conventional thermal pasteurizer for in-shell eggs. The ARS-patented radio frequency pasteurizer was used (40.68 MHz, 35W) to pasteurize eggs in 24.5 min. The conventional thermal pasteurization (56.7°C) required 60 min for the same level of inactivation. Calculations for the engineering cost were made based on the required energy for each system, showing that the radio frequency requires a third part of the total cost of electricity to pasteurize eggs in a year compared to thermal. Other utilities such as water and steam were also minor for radio frequency pasteuriza-tion. After two years of operation, the projected additional cost of processing is ~$0.19 per egg for the radio frequency system, compared to $0.22 per egg for conventional thermal treatment, largely due to volume-based amortization of capital costs and lower annual operating costs for the RF process. Radio frequency thus represents an option to pasteurize eggs ensuring their microbial safety while reducing energy consumption and increasing potential return on investment