Chemical changes of food constituents during cold plasma processing: A review

There is a growing demand for the consumption of nutritious and safe food products. Cold plasma is a novel nonthermal technology that in recent years, has found numerous applications in the food industry. Study on the applications of this technology and its effects on food quality is increasing. Like any other technology, using cold plasma for the processing of foods can be associated with food quality challenges. This paper reviews the effect of cold plasma on the chemical structure of different food constituents as well as its influence on food characteristics. The emphasis is on the recent studies about the plasma mechanisms of action and chemical alterations of different food components. The studies show that the interaction of plasma-reactive species with food components depends on process conditions. Developing the functional characteristics and reducing the anti-nutritional compounds are of promising potentials of cold plasma. Finally, the research gaps, the salient drawbacks, and future prospects of this technology are highlighted.

Automated summary

There is a growing demand for nutritious and safe food products, and cold plasma technology has found various applications in the food industry. Research on the effects of cold plasma on food quality is increasing, with potential to improve functional characteristics and reduce anti-nutritional compounds. However, there are still research gaps and drawbacks that need to be addressed for the future development of this technology.