Cold Plasma-A Sustainable Energy-Efficient Low-Carbon Food Processing Technology: Physicochemical Characteristics,...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Plasma Physics
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Nonthermal technologies are gaining traction for food preservation and microbial inactivation.
• Cold plasma (CP) offers benefits like enhanced food characteristics and microorganism eradication.
• CP is a novel technology significantly contributing to preventing food spoilage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review contemporary research on cold plasma technology in food processing.
• To discuss CP's applications in microbial decontamination, shelf-life extension, mycotoxin degradation, enzyme inactivation, and surface modification.
• To analyze CP generation techniques and the role of plasma-activated water (PAW).

Main Methods:

• Review of current scientific literature on cold plasma applications in food.
• Discussion of various CP generation methods (low pressure and atmospheric pressure).
• Analysis of CP's effects on food properties and its role in various food processing stages.

Main Results:

• CP effectively decontaminates various food products (fruits, vegetables, meat).
• CP improves food drying kinetics, bioactive compound extraction, and oil hydrogenation.
• CP enhances food safety, quality, packaging material properties, and reduces protein allergenicity.

Conclusions:

• Cold plasma is a versatile technology for microbial reduction and quality maintenance in food products.
• CP preserves nutritional and sensory properties, showing broad applicability in food processing.
• Further research on upscaling CP technology for commercial food processing is crucial.