Coconut milk treated by atmospheric cold plasma: Effect on quality and stability

Commercial sterilization plays an important role in extending the shelf-life of coconut milk. However, thermal sterilization affects the quality of coconut milk. This study was initiated to evaluate the effects of atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) treatment on some important quality parameters of coconut milk. ACP treatment had a slight effect on physicochemical characteristics and nutritional ingredients while it obviously reduced the colony count. Furthermore, ACP treatment obviously promoted the formation of lactone, an indispensable volatile substance in coconut milk. Insufficient or moderate ACP treatment had subtle effect on the sensory quality. Notably, moderate ACP treatment reduced the droplet size from 28.0 μm to 18.6 μm, and improved the stability during storage and centrifugation, especially at 60 kV 60 s. Overall, sterilization of coconut milk by ACP at 60 kV 60 s was the most ideal. This study can provide theoretical guidance for the application of ACP in liquid food.