Sublethal pulsed electric fields as engineered stimuli in food fermentation and microbial consortia dynamics: Mechanisms, challenges and opportunities

: Background Pulsed electric fields (PEF) technology has been predominantly applied for microbial inactivation in food systems. However, increasing evidence indicates that sublethal PEF treatments can modulate microbial physiology, providing new opportunities to enhance fermentation performance. Despite this potential, the mechanisms underlying sublethal responses remain insufficiently understood, particularly in complex fermentation systems and microbial consortia. Scope and approach This review critically examines sublethal PEF as an engineered stimulus, focusing on how electrical parameters (e.g., field strength, pulse duration, waveform, and energy input) govern the spatial and temporal characteristics of electroporation. The analysis integrates membrane permeabilization, intracellular field propagation, and calcium-mediated signaling to explain metabolic reprogramming in fermentative microorganisms. Recent applications in food fermentation are discussed, with emphasis on mass transfer, substrate uptake, and product formation. Additionally, the implications of sublethal PEF for microbial consortia dynamics are explored, considering species-specific sensitivities, intercellular interactions, and structural organization within complex communities. Key findings and conclusions Sublethal PEF emerges as a promising tool for the rational modulation of fermentation processes, enabling selective and reversible cellular responses when electrical parameters are appropriately controlled. However, major challenges remain, including the lack of standardized reporting, limited mechanistic attribution, and insufficient understanding of multi-species systems. Advancing this field requires waveform-aware experimental design, multi-scale analytical approaches, and integration with systems biology to enable predictive and reproducible PEF-assisted fermentation strategies.