Advances in Atmospheric Cold Plasma Technology for Plant-Based Food Safety, Functionality, and Quality Implications

Growing global concerns over pesticide residues and microbial contamination in plant-derived foods have intensified the demand for sustainable decontamination solutions. Conventional physical, chemical, and biological methods are hampered by inherent limitations, including operational inefficiency, secondary pollution risks, and nutritional degradation. Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) has emerged as a promising non-thermal technology to address these challenges at near-ambient temperatures, leveraging the generation of highly reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RONS), ultraviolet radiation, and ozone. This review comprehensively examines fundamental ACP mechanisms, discharge configurations, and their applications within plant-based food safety systems. It critically evaluates recent advancements in inactivating microorganisms, degrading mycotoxins and pesticides, and modulating enzymatic activity, while also exploring emerging applications in bioactive compound extraction, drying enhancement, and seed germination promotion. Crucially, the impact of ACP on the quality attributes of plant-based foods is summarized. Treatment parameters can alter physicochemical properties covering color, texture, flavor, acidity, and water activity as well as nutritional constituents such as antioxidants, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrate content. As an environmentally friendly, low-energy-consumption technology with high reactivity, ACP offers transformative potential for enhancing food safety, preserving quality, and fostering sustainable agricultural systems.