Review on Recent Applications of Cold Plasma for Safe and Sustainable Food Production: Principles, Implementation, and Application Limits

Abstract

The food and agricultural industries have numerous practical advantages to be gained from the use of cold plasma technology. This paper attempts to showcase the possible uses of cold plasma in the food sector, while also highlighting the most recent developments and market trends. The efficiency of cold plasma in enhancing food products’ quality and shelf life has been demonstrated in several investigations. This review has concentrated on current research into how this technology affects various food chain production stages. Cold plasma has become a cutting-edge non-thermal technique that can be used to ensure food safety. The precise mechanism underlying the effectiveness of cold plasma is still unclear. Understanding these mechanisms and potential elements that can restrict or increase their effectiveness and results is crucial to further enhancing and implementing cold plasma treatment in food processing. The main objective of this review is to investigate the use of plasma, its exceptional characteristics, and its advantages in safe, sustainable food production. In particular, this review summarizes recent studies on the use of cold plasma for microorganisms and pesticides treatment, compiling them and discussing their content. As reported in the literature, a critical point has also been reviewed about some diverse plasma configurations. A comparative study of the efficacy of cold plasma in environmental applications (microorganisms/pesticides) has also been reviewed from the literature.

Exploring Cold plasma technology: Enhancements in Carob seed germination, phytochemical Composition, and antioxidant activity

“…This activation enhances water imbibition and nutrient uptake, facilitating the initiation of germination processes. In general, the seed germination improvement through cold plasma treatment could be attributed to several factors: (1) increase of surface roughness and microstructuring of the outer layers of the seed coat [ 4 ], (2) presence of nitrogen dioxide, nitrate, and nitrite in cold plasma, which are able to break seed dormancy [ 6 ] by regulating gibberellin biosynthesis and abscisic acid catabolism [ 8 ], (3) improve of the accessibility of active oxygen/nitrogen species to the embryo in the seeds [ 2 ], (4) stimulate some enzymes involved in the metabolism of proteins and soluble sugars [ 8 ].…”

“…We seek to increase agricultural output to satisfy the world's consumers, who are steadily growing in number. The agricultural sector produced a significant amount of the world's food production, and seeds were critical components of sustainable agriculture and the food industry [ 2 ]. New technologies for farming are playing a more and more significant part in seed quality enhancement, leading to entirely new technological innovations [ 3 ].…”

“…As a result, the cold plasma technique may be used to protect seeds from the effects of drought stress. The cold plasma treatment can help to reduce seedling mortality and increase seed germination rates [ 2 ].…”

The Potential of Cold Plasma-Based Seed Treatments in Legume–Rhizobia Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation: A Review

“…Additionally, electromagnetic radiation quanta, including ultraviolet photons and visible light, are integral components of plasma [39]. The presence of free electric charges, such as electrons and ions, renders plasma electrically conductive and highly responsive to electromagnetic fields [40].…”