Ohmic heating(OH),a novel heating technology,has a great potential as a rapid and uniform heating method in food processing,and can ensure food safety and quality.Due to several factors such as electrical conductivity of foods,electrical field strength,ohmic heating usage is still at its preliminary stage in China.However,it has been extensively used in foods containing particles,rich in proteins as well as the space foods in other countries.The fundamental principle,characteristics and development status of ohmic heating technology were discussed in this review.The affecting factors of ohmic heating on the activity of enzyme,microorganism and nutrition of foods were also investigated.Current applications of this technology in food processing were also discussed and summarized.