Inhibition of bacterial growth by application of small AC electric fields: a study to understand the interaction mechanisms.
Résumé
An innovative process was patented for the inhibition of bacterial growth in liquid media by the application of a low amplitude (< 1V/cm) AC electric field randomly varying into a wide band (10kHz-40MHz). An electrical modeling of the bacterial cell placed in a uniform AC field was carried out in parallel. To refine this modeling, an experimental study of the interaction of small amplitude electric fields with bacteria is described here to understand the origin of growth inhibition. This combines an electric field treatment of the suspension and simultaneous analysis by Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Particular attention has been paid to precisely control the applied electric field. Temperature of the liquid is also measured.