Cold plasma technology and its applications in food industry

Abstract

Novel non-thermal food processing and preservation methods is in demand due to reduced nutritional modification after the processes. There are several non-thermal processing techniques are in practice, in that Cold Plasma (CP) technology is one of the low cost and energy efficient technique. Plasma is a form of ionized gas (containing balanced charges of ions and electrons) that is generated by a neutral gas. Plasma can interact and destruct microbial cells, spores and viruses by etching. Plasma can be generated in four different modes, using different techniques. Cold plasma technique is effective in pathogenic microbial decontamination which are present in food grains, meat products, milk, fruits and vegetables. It can also be used in effluent treatment in food industry because food indu