This thesis is an investigation of the inactivation of bacterial spores in milk using pulsed electric field (PEF) technology. Spores inoculated into raw skim milk were treated with low-energy instant-charge reversal pulses at high electric field strengths. No inactivation of ' Bacillus stearothermophilus' 145 or 'Bacillus licheniformis ' 519 spores occurred in raw skim milk due to PEF application at moderate or mildly elevated temperatures. Addition of nisin to milk prevented outgrowth of 'B. licheniformis ' 519 spores, but no extra inactivation occurred when nisin was combined with PEF application. No inactivation of 'B. stearothermophilus' 145 or ' B. licheniformis' 519 spores, or germinated or outgrowing spores of ' B. licheniformis' 519, occurred in dilute saline solutions treated by PEF. PEF treatments using low-energy instant-charge reversal pulses are not capable of destroying bacterial spores in raw skim milk or dilute saline solution. The potential for a spore-inactivation process relying on PEF technology is very limited.