Research Facility · Gouveia, Portugal
LInDAAA

Laboratory for Investigation and Development
in Agri-food Applications

Where potential clients come to see PEF technology working on their own products — before committing to anything. Real equipment. Real products. Real results.

LInDAAA Laboratory — Gouveia, Portugal
About LInDAAA

Not a showroom.
A working laboratory.

LInDAAA is an applied research facility operated by EPS in Gouveia, in the Dão wine region of central Portugal. It is equipped with the full EPULSUS industrial range, a pilot winery and a pasteurisation line.

The facility was built to close the gap between scientific evidence and industrial conviction. A food producer considering PEF does not need another brochure. They need to see their own product (their must, their olive paste, their juice) going through the process and compare the result side by side with conventional treatment.

LInDAAA is also where EPS develops and validates new PEF protocols for agri-food applications, in collaboration with research groups, universities and industry partners.

OIV-OENO 634-2020 — Pulsed Electric Field treatment is an accepted oenological practice, recognised by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine since 2020.

Location

Gouveia, Serra da Estrela

Dão wine region, central Portugal. Situated in one of Portugal's most important wine-producing areas, with direct access to local producers for collaborative trials and within the olive oil belt of central-northern Portugal.

Schedule a visit →

EPS Results

What we've demonstrated —
with numbers

All results below come from trials conducted with EPULSUS generators, at LInDAAA or in collaboration with partner wineries, olive mills and research institutions. References cited were published in relevant peer-reviewed scientific journals.

+30%
Increase in anthocyanin extraction in red wine must, 1 hour after PEF treatment
1.5–2.5 kV/cm · Bipolar · Cabernet Sauvignon
Aguiar, M. 2024. Evaluation of PEF on Tinta Roriz Quality Wines
−30%
Reduction in maceration time, with equivalent or superior extraction of phenolic compounds and colour
Red wine maceration · PEF pre-treatment of crushed grapes
Aguiar, M. 2024
+5.5%
Increase in free-run must yield (Cuvée must) vs untreated control — adding direct value per tonne of grapes
Arinto variety · 2022 harvest · Max. press 0.2 bar
Aguiar-Macedo et al., Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 8343. DOI:10.3390/app13148343
−19%
Reduction in total wine lees yield — less waste, less byproduct to manage
Arinto 2022 · same trial as above
Aguiar-Macedo et al., Appl. Sci. 2023
30
days
PEF-treated wine achieves mannoprotein concentration equivalent to 6 months of conventional sur lees aging
15 kV/cm · Chardonnay & Caladoc varieties
Martinez et al. 2018 · Maza et al. 2019. DOI:10.1016/j.lwt.2019.108788
−80.66%
Reduction in total viable yeast count. Brettanomyces bruxellensis — responsible for "brett" off-flavours, initially 2.467 × 10³ viable cells/mL (12.13% of the total yeast population) — reduced to undetectable levels (<150 cells/mL) after PEF treatment
15 kV/cm · 35.8 kJ/kg · Bipolar · 4 bar · 240 L/h · ΔT = +8.5°C
DOI:10.1051/bioconf/20236802041

Native fermentation yeasts unaffected when stabilisation is applied post-fermentation, once their work is complete. pH, total acidity and alcohol content unchanged by PEF treatment. Preserved organoleptic profile after Microbial Inactivation Treatments in Wine — no significant differences detected by tasting panel in blind comparison vs. untreated control.

Process Overview

Where PEF intervenes in red wine production

Step through the vinification process to see the three points where EPULSUS generators can be applied, and what the data show for each intervention.

Red wine vinification with EPULSUS PEF intervention points Animated technical diagram with three PEF interventions: before the tank (post-crushing), after malolactic fermentation (stabilisation), and during ageing (aging sur lees). ① Hopper M ② Sorting Table stems ↑ ③ Destemmer-Crusher M flex. M ⑤ Pump ⚡ PEF — Post-Crushing cap pump. ⑥ Fermentation Tank ar ⑦ Press ⚡ PEF — Stabilisation flex. ⑧ Barrel / Ageing ⚡ PEF — Aging sur lees 30 days = 6 months conventional
Step 1 of 11
① Hopper
Grapes arrive in bins or trucks. They are weighed and a sample is collected for analysis — brix, pH and total acidity. First quality checkpoint of the harvest.
1 / 11
Take it to the decision-maker
PureWine — EPS PEF for Red & White Wines
PDF · 8 pages · 11 MB · A tool at the service of oenologists
Download brochure →
−60%
Reduction in malaxation time required to achieve equivalent extraction quality — freeing capacity in the malaxation tank
2 kV/cm · Manzanilla variety · 30 min PEF vs 90 min control
PHENOILS Project / EPS results
up to
+20%
Improvement in oil extraction yield under optimal conditions, with reduced residual oil in pomace (e.g. 16.6% → 12.7%) returning that fraction to extracted yield
Manzanilla · 100 ton/day · 20°C · PEF 30 min vs control 60 min
PHENOILS Project, EPS/CSIC/Fraunhofer consortium · DOI:10.3390/foods11142022
<25°C
PEF enables cold extraction (malaxation below 25°C) while maintaining or improving EVOO yield, preserving heat-sensitive polyphenols and volatile aromatics
vs standard 27–30°C malaxation for equivalent yield
Widely reported in PEF olive-oil literature (e.g. DOI:10.3390/foods11142022); EPS EVOOlution programme
+10%
Increase in extraction yield (Arbequina, 100 ton/day), with increased total polyphenols in PEF-treated samples
Arbequina · 100 ton/day · 60 min malaxation · 29°C
PHENOILS Project
+7–9%
Potential increase in phenolic content of EVOO — improving health attributes and oxidative stability
Manzanilla · pilot scale 400 kg/h
EPS / PHENOILS pilot results
EVOO
Sensorial quality maintained or improved: Fruity 4.5 · Bitterness 4.1 · Pungency 5.1. No defects noted in panel assessment of PEF-treated oil
Manzanilla · accredited panel · blind assessment
PHENOILS Project, 2022

Real production context: at 100 ton/day with an EVOO price of 4€/kg, a +1 percentage point yield increase generates +4,000€/day in additional revenue. PEF operating costs at this scale are approximately 25€/day (energy + electrode set). ROI: 1–2.5 years.

Take it to the decision-maker
EVOOlution — EPS PEF for the Olive Oil Industry
PDF · 8 pages · 7.6 MB · Cold extraction, +20% yield, ROI 1–2.5 years
Download brochure →
−80%
Microbial load reduction in juice and liquid food products, equivalent pasteurisation effect at lower temperatures
Continuous flow · 10–30 kV/cm · bipolar pulses
Published literature; EPS BM3B application data
ΔT <5°C
Temperature rise during cold pasteurisation. Vitamins, enzymes and volatile aromatics preserved. No Maillard reactions.
PEF-only treatment · no thermal hold
EPS BM3B application data
+10%
Increase in extraction yield from plant biomass (algae, botanicals, herbs), reducing solvent use and extraction time
Batch chamber · low-dose reversible PEF
Published literature; LInDAAA trials

PEF-treated juices have been approved for commercial sale across the EU and US markets. Technology classified as a non-thermal processing method — no regulatory barriers to sale of treated products in European markets.

−50%
Reduction in thermal energy required for pasteurisation when PEF pre-treatment is combined with reduced heat treatment
E=10kV/cm · τ=50μs · f=3Hz · Monopolar · 2.92 L/h + HT 2s at 64°C
Araújo et al., Foods, MDPI — Implications of PEF Pre-Treatment on Goat Milk Pasteurization
97%
Of surviving Listeria monocytogenes rendered sub-lethally injured by PEF alone — explaining the strong synergic effect in combined PEF+HT treatment
PEF-only, no heat — cow's and goat's milk
Araújo et al., Foods, MDPI

pH, total soluble solids and total acidity of milk are not affected by PEF. Organoleptic profile unchanged. PEF+HT combination allows pasteurisation at 64°C instead of 72°C — lower thermal load with equivalent or superior microbial safety.

Economics

The business case —
olive oil example

A cost-benefit analysis for a typical olive mill processing 100 tonnes of olives per day, at an EVOO price of 4€/kg.

Revenue comparison — 100 ton/day olive mill
ScenarioYieldRevenue/day
Conventional 15% 60,000 €
PEF H0 (+3%) 15.5% 62,000 €
PEF H1 (+20%) 18% 72,000 €

* Results depend on olive variety, maturity and processing conditions. EPS trials demonstrated yield increases of 7–23% depending on variety. Conservative estimate used for H₀ scenario.

≈25 €
Total daily operating cost of PEF at 100 ton/day — energy (≈0.15€/ton) + electrode set replacement
1–2.5 yr
Return on Investment — depending on yield increase achieved and amortisation period
4,000 €
Additional revenue per day from a conservative +1 percentage point yield improvement at 4€/kg EVOO
Infrastructure

What's in the lab

Pilot Winery — LInDAAA
Pilot Plant

Pilot Winery

Complete pilot-scale winery for vinification trials. Red and white lines. PEF treatment of must before pressing, during maceration and for microbial stabilisation — including Brettanomyces inactivation. Used for the PureWine project trials and ongoing customer demonstrations.

Pilot Pasteurisation Line — LInDAAA
Pilot Plant

Pasteurisation Line

Continuous-flow PEF system for juices, liquid foods and beverages. Directly comparable with thermal HTST — same throughput, measurable difference in product quality. Instrumented for temperature, conductivity, microbial count and energy consumption.

EPULSUS Generator Suite — LInDAAA
Equipment Suite

EPULSUS Generator Suite

FBML1-5, BM1A-12 and BM3B-12 available simultaneously. Different waveforms, field strengths and chamber geometries can be evaluated in parallel on the same raw material — protocol optimization data in a single session. Batch and flow-through chambers for all configurations.

A Typical Visit

How it works

01

You bring the product

Bring your own raw material: grape must, olive paste, juice, or any food product you produce. We run the trial on what you actually work with. Minimum quantities from 5–20 litres depending on application. We handle transport logistics on request.

02

We design the protocol

Based on your application and target outcome, our engineers define PEF protocol and chamber geometry. We run multiple conditions in sequence so you compare results directly. Everything is instrumented and logged.

03

You leave with data

Option to have analytical parameters relevant to your decision analysed and verified by certified independent laboratories. Yield and Energy Consumption determined in-house. A comprehensive written report follows within two weeks. No commercial commitment required. The data is yours.

Next step

Tell us what you want to test

Different fields, different starting points. Pick the path that matches your work — each goes straight to the right team.

Wine · Olive oil · Food

Book a LInDAAA trial with your product

Bring your must, olive paste or juice. We run PEF on your own raw material and you leave with side-by-side data and a written report. No commercial commitment.

Request a trial →
Research · Biomedical · Biotech

Request a quote or demo unit

Electroporation, IRE, transfection, cell stimulation. Full waveform control across our biomedical range. Tell us your protocol and we'll match the generator and chamber.

Request a quote →
Big science · Pulsed power

Start a custom spec consultation

Magnetron supplies, thyratron replacements, accelerator modulators, bespoke pulsed-power R&D. Where standard products don't exist — we engineer to your specification.

Discuss a custom build →

If the buttons above don't open your mail client, write to geral@energypulsesystems.com directly.

Ready to see it working on your product?

LInDAAA visits are by appointment. Tell us what you want to test and we will design a trial protocol and confirm availability, usually within two weeks.

Request a Visit →
All brochures PureWine — Wine · EVOOlution — Olive Oil · Biomedical