Background Cold plasma is an emerging non-thermal disinfection and surface modification technology which is chemical free, and eco-friendly. Plasma treatment of water, termed as plasma activated water (PAW), creates an acidic environment which results in changes of the redox potential, conductivity and in the formation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS). As a result, PAW has different chemical composition than water and can serve as an alternative method for microbial disinfection. Scope and approach This paper reviews the different plasma sources employed for PAW generation, its physico-chemical properties and potential areas of PAW applications. More specifically, the physical and chemical properties of PAW are outlined in relation to the acidity, conductivity, redox potential, and concentration of ROS, RNS in the treated water. All these effects are in microbial nature, so the applications of PAW for microbial disinfection are also summarized in this review. Finally, the role of PAW in improving the agricultural practices, for example, promoting seed germination and plant growth, is also presented. Key findings and conclusions PAW appears to have a synergistic effect on the disinfection of food while it can also promote seedling growth of seeds. The increase in the nitrate and nitrite ions in the PAW could be the main reason for the increase in plant growth. Soaking seeds in PAW not only serves as an anti-bacterial but also enhances the seed germination and plant growth. PAW could potentially be used to increase crop yield and to fight against the drought stress environmental conditions.

Plasma activated water (PAW): Chemistry, physico-chemical properties, applications in food and agriculture

Background Cold plasma (CP) is an emerging technology, which has attracted the attention of scientists globally. It was originally developed for ameliorating the printing and adhesion properties of polymers plus a variety of usage domains in electronics. In the last decade, its applications were extended into the food industry as a powerful tool for non-thermal processing, with diverse forms for utilization. Scope and approach This review presents an overview of recent studies on the application of cold plasma in the food industry. Specific areas discussed include microbial decontamination of food products, packaging material processing, functionality modification of food materials and dissipation of agrochemical residues. The application of CP has also been expanded into areas, such as hydrogenation of edible oils, mitigation of food allergy, inactivation of anti-nutritional factors, tailoring of seed germination performance and effluent management. In addition, the paper provides a summary of plasma chemistry and sources, factors influencing plasma efficiency and strategies for augmentation. Furthermore, key areas for future research are highlighted and salient drawbacks are discussed. Key findings and conclusions The recent studies conducted on the interaction of reactive species with food contact surfaces establish plasma processing as an eco-friendly technique with minimal changes to food products, making it a befitting alternative to traditional techniques. Active researches focused on up-scaling for commercial applications are urgently required.

A review on recent advances in cold plasma technology for the food industry: Current applications and future trends

Cold plasma (CP) technology has proven very effective as an alternative tool for food decontamination and shelf-life extension. The impact of CP on food quality is very crucial for its acceptance as an alternative food processing technology. Due to the non-thermal nature, CP treatments have shown no or minimal impacts on the physical, chemical, nutritional and sensory attributes of various products. This review also discusses the negative impacts and limitations posed by CP technology for food products. The limited studies on interactions of CP species with food components at the molecular level offers future research opportunities. It also highlights the need for optimization studies to mitigate the negative impacts on visual, chemical, nutritional and functional properties of food products. The design versatility, non-thermal, economical and environmentally friendly nature of CP offers unique advantages over traditional processing technologies. However, CP processing is still in its nascent form and needs further research to reach its potential.

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Effects of Cold Plasma on Food Quality: A Review

Background Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables have gained much more attention worldwide in the past decades. Due to the increased awareness of consumers in sensorial and nutritional qualities of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, as well as the serious concerns towards public health caused by foodborne outbreaks owing to inappropriate handling or preservation of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, fresh-cut industry is in urgent need of new and improved technologies for shelf life extension. Scope and approach In this review the recent development in novel shelf life extension technology applied to fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, including physical, chemical and biopreservation methods are described. These novel technologies better maintain or improve the quality and safety of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. However, reduction in microbial load without compromising in sensory and nutritional qualities could not be easily achieved by one technique alone. Some combined application of these techniques proved to be very effective in both shelf life extension and microbial inhibition of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Key findings and conclusions Future research needs to consider varieties of further combined applications of physical, chemical and biopreservation technologies, which may allow a better maintenance of the fresh-like characteristics of the raw produce. Meanwhile, consumer's acceptance, safety and legal aspects, and commercial availability, such as the efficacy, cost-effectiveness ratio and convenient manipulation, should also be taken into consideration in future studies.

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Recent developments in novel shelf life extension technologies of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables

https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1219&context=scschbioart

The Potential of Cold Plasma for Safe and Sustainable Food Production

In the past cold plasma is used for sterilization of sensitive materials and now it is extended to food industries as a novel technology. For years cold plasma processing has been viewed as useful for microbial inactivation while maintaining quality of fresh produce. However, this process is not effective for in vitro model food systems for inactivation of microbes or enzymes which are present in intact tissues, as it is a surface phenomenon. Cold plasma technology is also used to inactivate endogenous enzymes which are responsible for browning reactions particularly polyphenoloxidase and peroxidases. Several research investigations showed a reduced growth of microorganism via different mode of actions by etching phenomenon, cell disruption by electrophoration etc. Plasma technology is considered as modern non conventional technique which is used for the preparation of modified starches, altering its physical and chemical properties. Overall application of cold plasma for microbial destruction on different food substrates like fruits, meat products, cheese etc. was discussed. Besides this, it is also used to alter the germination rate of seeds. It is an eco-friendly process which is used in the preservation of food and other potential applications as an alternative to common techniques.

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Cold Plasma: A novel Non-Thermal Technology for Food Processing

Cold plasma has emerged as a potential bio-decontamination technology for microbial and chemical risks associated with food products such as fruits and vegetables. This study investigated the efficacy of cold plasma treatment for the degradation of pesticides (boscalid and Imidacloprid) on blueberries in tandem with the need to retain critical quality attributes of a fresh high value berry product post treatment. An in-package high voltage dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor was employed for this study. The degradation efficacy of pesticides after 80 kV and 5 min of cold plasma treatment were found to be 80.18% for boscalid and 75.62% for Imidacloprid. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of blueberries increased significantly for 1 min treated samples for all applied voltages. However, plasma treatment significantly decreased the ascorbic acid at longer plasma doses. There was no significant effect on physical parameters such as color while acceptable changes were observed in blueberry firmness. This study demonstrates effective chemical decontamination of blueberries whilst maintaining critical nutritional and physical quality parameters, offering an alternative process for quality retention of processing sensitive high value berry products.

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Atmospheric Cold Plasma Dissipation Efficiency of Agrochemicals on Blueberries

A high voltage dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor using atmospheric air as the inducer gas was studied for the degradation of pesticides (dichlorvos, malathion, endosulfan) in water. The degradation kinetics of the pesticides were studied using GC–MS as a function of plasma control parameters. Electrical characterisation of the plasma revealed that the plasma discharge consisted of filamentary streamers. Excited nitrogen, reactive oxygen species and OH radicals generated in the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor were identified using optical emission spectroscopy. Ozone, used as an indicator for metastable oxygen species, was quantified within the reactor at concentrations of 1600, 2200, 2800 ppm after 8 min of plasma treatment for applied voltages of 60, 70, and 80 kV respectively. The degradation efficacy of pesticides after 80 kV and 8 min of plasma treatment were found to be 78.98 ± 0.81% for dichlorvos, 69.62 ± 0.14% for malathion and 57.71 ± 0.58% for endosulfan. Degradation was found to follow first order kinetics. GC–MS analyses showed that the degraded compounds and intermediates formed were less toxic than the parent pesticide. A proposed mechanism of degradation of these pesticides is suggested.

https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1243&context=schfsehart

Pesticide degradation in water using atmospheric air cold plasma

The past decade has seen a surge in the scientific literature investigating the potential food-related applications of plasma A multidisciplinary scientific effort has started to demonstrate process efficacy for a range of plasma applications, including antimicrobial, pesticidal, food functionalization, and waste treatment Insights into the interactions of plasma species with food and the mechanisms of action are also emerging This review examines the current status of cold plasma technology within the food sector with a particular emphasis on emerging applications Opportunities and current challenges that need to be addressed for successful adoption of the approach by industry are detailed

Chaitanya Sarangapani

Papers

Cold Plasma: A novel Non-Thermal Technology for Food Processing

Atmospheric Cold Plasma Dissipation Efficiency of Agrochemicals on Blueberries

Pesticide degradation in water using atmospheric air cold plasma

Recent Advances in the Application of Cold Plasma Technology in Foods

Influence of cold plasma on fungal growth and aflatoxins production on groundnuts