An electric inactivating apparatus of micro-organic spores was designed. A continuous AC electric field (20 kHz, 16.3 kV/cm) was applied to orange juice containing Bacillus subtilis spores in order to examine the inactivation effect of electrical equipment. Electrical treatment at 100 degreesC under atmospheric pressure has a poor ability to inactivate Bacillus subtilis spores. But electrical treatment at 121 degreesC under pressurized conditions to elevate the boiling point can reduce the viable Bacillus subtilis spores in orange juice four logarithmic orders in <1 s of treatment. 10% of the original ascorbic acid in the orange juice was destroyed after electric treatment. This value compares with 30% that was destroyed by heating in boiling water for 10 min. And the unpalatable flavor of heat-treated Satsuma mandarin juice was not developed in the electric treated juice. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.