Recent updates and perspectives of plasma in food processing: a review
Ifrah Usman, Muhammad Afzaal, Ali Imran, Farhan Saeed, Atka Afzal, Iqra Ashfaq, Yasir Abbas Shah, Fakhar Islam, Iqra Azam, Ifra Tariq, Huda Ateeq, Aasma Asghar, Rimsha Farooq, Amara Rasheed, Mohd Asif Shah
Abstract
The demand for minimally processed food is increasing across the globe. In this regard, the application of non-thermal technologies for food processing is getting more attention. The use of plasma in food processing offers promising potential owing to its different attributes including non-thermal, enzyme inactivation, removal of pesticides toxin, less damage to food, low nutritional loss, and high quality of the final products. Plasma ensures food safety by inactivation of potential pathogens without distressing the quality indices of the food. Plasma is an advanced technique that has attracted scientists and technologists because of its astonishing capacity and potential applications in food industries which include food decontamination, inactivation of food-borne pathogenic microbes, and food packaging. The present review summarizes the key factors in plasma generation, its characteristics and applications in different food industries. Furthermore, it also addresses the principles, practices and limitations of plasma application in food safety, decontamination and current knowledge on the subject matter. These application of plasma in food industries improves the nutritional and textural aspects of food materials