TY - JOUR
T1 - A Cold Plasma Technology for Ensuring the Microbiological Safety and Quality of Foods
AU - Nwabor, Ozioma Forstinus
AU - Onyeaka, Helen
AU - Miri, Taghi
AU - Obileke, Kechrist
AU - Anumudu, Christian
AU - Hart, Abarasi
PY - 2022/6/24
Y1 - 2022/6/24
N2 - Changing consumers’ taste for chemical and thermally processed food and preference for perceived healthier minimally processed alternatives is a challenge to food industry. At present, several technologies have found usefulness as choice methods for ensuring that processed food remains unaltered while guaranteeing maximum safety and protection of consumers. However, the effectiveness of most green technology is limited due to the formation of resistant spores by certain foodborne microorganisms and the production of toxins. Cold plasma, a recent technology, has shown commendable superiority at both spore inactivation and enzymes and toxin deactivation. However, the exact mechanism behind the efficiency of cold plasma has remained unclear. In order to further optimize and apply cold plasma treatment in food processing, it is crucial to understand these mechanisms and possible factors that might limit or enhance their effectiveness and outcomes. As a novel non-thermal technology, cold plasma has emerged as a means to ensure the microbiological safety of food. Furthermore, this review presents the different design configurations for cold plasma applications, analysis the mechanisms of microbial spore and biofilm inactivation, and examines the impact of cold plasma on food compositional, organoleptic, and nutritional quality.
AB - Changing consumers’ taste for chemical and thermally processed food and preference for perceived healthier minimally processed alternatives is a challenge to food industry. At present, several technologies have found usefulness as choice methods for ensuring that processed food remains unaltered while guaranteeing maximum safety and protection of consumers. However, the effectiveness of most green technology is limited due to the formation of resistant spores by certain foodborne microorganisms and the production of toxins. Cold plasma, a recent technology, has shown commendable superiority at both spore inactivation and enzymes and toxin deactivation. However, the exact mechanism behind the efficiency of cold plasma has remained unclear. In order to further optimize and apply cold plasma treatment in food processing, it is crucial to understand these mechanisms and possible factors that might limit or enhance their effectiveness and outcomes. As a novel non-thermal technology, cold plasma has emerged as a means to ensure the microbiological safety of food. Furthermore, this review presents the different design configurations for cold plasma applications, analysis the mechanisms of microbial spore and biofilm inactivation, and examines the impact of cold plasma on food compositional, organoleptic, and nutritional quality.
KW - Cold plasma
KW - Food quality
KW - Food safety
KW - Microbial spores
KW - Shelf-life
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132719470&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12393-022-09316-0
DO - 10.1007/s12393-022-09316-0
M3 - Article
SN - 1866-7910
VL - 2022
JO - Food Engineering Reviews
JF - Food Engineering Reviews
ER -