Food preservation by cold plasma from dielectric barrier discharges in agri-food industries

Abstract

BackgroundCold plasma (CP) can be defined as partially or wholly ionized gas carrying myriads of highly reactive products, such as electrons, negative ions, positive ions, free radicals, excited or non-excited atoms, and photons at ambient temperature. It is generated at 30–60°C under atmospheric or reduced pressure (vacuum). In contrast to thermal plasma, it requires less power, exhibits electron temperatures much higher than the corresponding gas (macroscopic temperature), and does not present a local thermodynamic equilibrium. Dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) are one of the most convenient and efficient methods to produce CP.Scope and approachCold plasma technology has the potential to replace traditional agri-food processing purification methods because of its low energy requirements and flexible system design. CP technology works by reducing bacteria levels and removing pests and mycotoxins from your produce at harvest. It can also catalyze physiological and biochemical reactions and modify materials. It can meet microbial food safety standards, improve the physical, nutritional, and sensory characteristics of the products, preserve unstable bioactive compounds, and modulate enzyme activities. This manuscript also discusses the quality characteristics of food components before/after CP treatment.Key findings and conclusionIn the past decade, CP treatments of food products have experienced increased popularity due to their potential contributions to non-thermal food processing. There is no doubt that CP treatment is a flexible approach with demonstrated efficacy for controlling many risks across food and agricultural sustainability sectors. In addition, CP technologies also can be applied in food-related areas, including modification of chemical structures and desensitization treatments. There is a need to fully assess the benefits and risks of stand-alone CP unit processes or their integration as a processing chain as soon as the economic, ecological, and consumer benefits and acceptability are considered.

Advanced Technologies in Food Processing—Development Perspective

“…It also includes electrons, free radicals, excited particles, and photons [17]. A distinction is made between high-temperature plasma, which occurs in the interior of stars, and low-temperature plasma, which is used in food technology due to its much lower temperature ranges [15]. Food preservation aims to prolong its shelf life by inactivating micro-organisms, including pathogenic ones.…”

“…However, there are also many challenges associated with the application of PEFs, such as the need to determine the optimal process parameters for each type of food [14]. These methods not only make it possible to obtain food with a long shelf life, safe for health and without added preservatives, but are also more environmentally friendly than conventional methods [15]. An in-depth analysis of the current knowledge of advanced food processing technologies seems crucial, given the intensive development of new technological solutions in this industry.…”

Clinical application of cold atmospheric-pressure plasma: mechanisms and irradiation conditions

“…Over the past two decades, research has unveiled the broad applicability of CAP across diverse sectors, including agriculture, waste management, material transformation, food processing, water treatment, and notably, medicine [7][8][9]. In particular, CAP has remarkable potential in the biomedical field owing to its unique properties.…”

Optimization of Indirect CAP Exposure as an Effective Osteosarcoma Cells Treatment with Cytotoxic Effects

“…One of the most frequently used techniques for producing CAP is dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) [49][50][51]. Under conventional laboratory circumstances, CAP can easily be generated by providing high voltage electrical power (in the form of alternating or pulsed electric field) to a device with one or two electrodes, at least one of which must be insulated with a dielectric barrier [49,[51][52][53][54].…”