Advances in Atmospheric Cold Plasma Technology for Plant-Based Food Safety, Functionality, and Quality Implications

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Plasma Physics
• Agricultural Engineering

Background:

• Growing concerns over pesticide residues and microbial contamination in plant-derived foods necessitate advanced decontamination methods.
• Conventional decontamination techniques often suffer from inefficiency, secondary pollution, and nutritional degradation.
• Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) presents a promising non-thermal alternative for food safety applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the fundamental mechanisms, configurations, and applications of ACP in plant-based food safety.
• To critically evaluate ACP's efficacy in inactivating microorganisms, degrading contaminants, and modulating enzymatic activity.
• To explore emerging ACP applications and summarize its impact on plant-based food quality attributes.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of atmospheric cold plasma technology.
• Analysis of ACP mechanisms, including reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RONS), UV radiation, and ozone generation.
• Evaluation of studies on ACP applications in microbial inactivation, mycotoxin/pesticide degradation, and enzymatic modulation.

Main Results:

• ACP effectively inactivates microorganisms, degrades mycotoxins and pesticides, and modulates enzymatic activity in plant-based foods.
• ACP shows potential in bioactive compound extraction, drying enhancement, and seed germination promotion.
• ACP treatment parameters influence physicochemical properties (color, texture, flavor) and nutritional content (antioxidants, proteins).

Conclusions:

• ACP is an environmentally friendly, low-energy technology with high reactivity for enhancing food safety.
• ACP can preserve the quality attributes of plant-based foods while decontaminating them.
• ACP holds transformative potential for sustainable agriculture and food systems.