Food is subjected to various thermal treatments during processes to enhance its shelf-life. But these thermal treatments may result in deterioration of the nutritional and sensory qualities of food. With the change in the lifestyle of people around the globe, their food needs have changed as well. Today's consumer demand is for clean and safe food without compromising the nutritional and sensory qualities of food. This directed the attention of food professionals toward the development of non-thermal technologies that are green, safe, and environment-friendly. In non-thermal processing, food is processed at near room temperature, so there is no damage to food because heat-sensitive nutritious materials are intact in the food, contrary to thermal processing of food. These non-thermal technologies can be utilized for treating all kinds of food like fruits, vegetables, pulses, spices, meat, fish, etc. Non-thermal technologies have emerged largely in the last few decades in food sector.
Cold plasma (CP) is an upcoming technology implemented for the preservation of highly perishable foods, especially aquatic food products (AFPs). The high moisture content, high-quality protein with all essential amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids makes AFP more susceptible to microbial spoilage and oxidation of lipids and proteins. Spoilage lowers the nutritive value and could generate toxic components, making it unsafe for consumption. In recent times, the rising demand for food products of aquatic origin with preserved quality and extended shelf-life has been recorded. In addition, minimally or nonthermally processed and preserved foods are gaining great attention. CP technology has demonstrated an excellent ability to inactivate microorganisms without promoting their resistance and triggering some deteriorative enzymes, which are typical factors responsible for the spoilage of AFP. Consequently, CP could be recommended as a minimal processing intervention for preserving the quality of AFP. This review focuses on different mechanisms of fish spoilage, that is, by microorganisms and oxidation, their inhibition via the application of CP, and the retention of quality and shelf-life extension of AFP.
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