Article in Trends in Food Science & Technology, Available online 26 July 2018
RonitMandal, AnikaSingh, Anubhav PratapSingh
Abstract
The paper gives the reader an overview of the cold plasma technology in food industry. It reviews principles of plasma generation, including mechanisms of action of the process on microorganisms. It also highlights different plasma generation systems, various published results of plasma application to inactivate microorganisms in vitro and in various food products, food packages and equipment surfaces. The challenges of the process, its effects on food quality and the future prospects are highlighted.
It aims to review and apprise readers about the important fundamentals and latest trends in the Cold Plasma technology. The on-going studies on plasma technology prove that cold plasma is strongly effective for surface decontamination, with efforts in-progress for liquid processing. The short time of application causes no significant deterioration in food products. Thus, it is an apt alternative processing technology which could also help to counter food allergenicity, seed germination, packaging material printing, waste-water treatment, modify food functionality, extract bio-actives etc. Further research is needed for scaling-up of this process for future commercialization.