ShareICCC2026: Magnetic field for food refrigeration – a promising but still emerging alternative to conventional freezing methods
During the 9th edition the IIR ICCC conference, IIR C2 commission president Prof. Alain Le Bail and colleagues presented an overview of the advantages, limitations, and current technological challenges of applying magnetic-field-assisted refrigeration and freezing with the objective of improving frozen food quality.
Conventional freezing often leads to quality degradation associated with the formation of large and irregular ice crystals, causing cell rupture, drip loss, texture softening, and nutrient degradation. For this reason, emerging non-thermal technologies have been investigated to better control ice nucleation and crystal growth during cooling and freezing.
During the 9th edition the IIR International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain (ICCC), IIR C2 commission president Prof. Alain Le Bail and colleagues Prof. Olivier ROUAUD and Prof. Nasser Hamdami from Oniris institute in Nantes, France, presented a review paper of magnetic field technologies applied to food refrigeration and freezing.
The authors discussed the advantages, limitations, and current technological challenges of the following technologies:
- SMF (or PMF): Static (or permanent) magnetic field generated by permanent magnets.
- SRMF: Static repulsive magnetic field (2 magnets facing each other + opposite polarity).
- SAMF: Static attractive magnetic field (2 magnets facing each other with the same polarity).
- OMF: Oscillating magnetic field with sinusoidal or non-sinusoidal waveform.
- AMF: Alternating magnetic field with periodic inversion of field orientation.
- PMF: Pulsed magnetic field
Studies show that magnetic-field-assisted refrigeration offers several potential advantages, including improved quality preservation through reduced ice crystal growth, non-thermal and contactless processing, and in some cases reduced freezing time and energy consumption. These benefits are particularly attractive for high-value products such as fish, meat, fruits, and vegetables.
However, significant drawbacks and uncertainties remain. Table 1 summarises advantages and limitations of magnetic-field-assisted refrigeration and freezing, including technological readiness and scalability.
| Aspect | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Food quality | Better texture, less drip loss | Product-dependent |
| Safety | Non-thermal, low intensity | Mechanisms unclear |
| Process control | Potential nucleation control | Poor reproducibility |
| Industrial scale | No chemical additives | High equipment complexity |
Table 1 Advantages and limitations of magnetic field-assisted refrigeration.
Prof Le Bail and colleagues proposed that future R&D focuses on clarifying physical mechanisms, establishing standardised experimental protocols, quantifying induced electric fields, and evaluating industrial feasibility. In their opinion, magnetic field technology should be considered a promising but controversial approach to food refrigeration rather than a mature alternative to conventional freezing methods.
For more information, the complete paper is available on FRIDOC.
Source
Alain LE-BAIL, Nasser HAMDAMI and Olivier ROUAUD. Impact of magnetic field on food refrigeration: An overview. 9th IIR International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain. Proceedings: April 12-14 2026. http://dx.doi.org/10.18462/iir.iccc.2026.8212http://dx.doi.org/10.18462/iir.iccc.2026.8212