Cold Plasma
Non-equilibrium plasma or Cold plasma is plasma which is said to be the fourth state of matter and is not in thermodynamic equilibrium. In the case of food processing, cold plasma is specifically an antimicrobial treatment being studied for application to vegetables, fruits, and other foods with fragile surfaces. Non-thermal plasma uses reactive and energetic gases to inactivate contaminating microbes on poultry, meats, fruits, and vegetables. This sanitizing method uses electricity and a carrier gas, such as nitrogen, helium or oxygen; antimicrobial chemical agents are not required. The main modes of action are due to ultra-violet light and reactive chemical products of the cold plasma ionization process. The application of cold plasma has also been expanded into areas, such as mitigation of food allergy, hydrogenation of edible oils, tailoring of seed germination performance, inactivation of anti-nutritional factors, and effluent management. The treatment needs no liquids making this technology an ideal purification tool for manufacturers of low moisture foods.
As consumers demand higher-quality, more-nutritious foods, they also look for less processing combined with a longer shelf life. Researches show that it is a cost-effective technique by which the shelf-life of numerous produces and meat products can be enhanced, as well as effectively reduce foodborne pathogens.
Experts believe the advantages of cold plasma are:
- It requires short process times
- It is readily adaptable to a number of food-processing environments
- It is a dry method, requiring very limited amount of energy
- The unstable reactive gases degenerate to the original gas in a relatively short amount of time
Key limitations for cold plasma are the relatively early state of technology development, the variety and complexity of the necessary equipment, and the largely unexplored impacts of cold plasma treatment on the sensory and nutritional qualities of treated foods.
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. It is forecasted that cold plasma will become a “clean” and “natural,” and “organic” process and an improvement over currently available antimicrobial procedures.
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