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Advances in the Application of Cold Plasma Technology for Food...
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Advances in the Application of Cold Plasma Technology for Food Quality and Safety

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 3902

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Silvia Tappi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
Interests: non-thermal processing; emerging technologies; food quality; food shelf life
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Cristina De Aguiar Saldanha Pinheiro

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research Agricultural and Food (CIRI-Agrifood), University of Bologna UNIBO, Cesena, Italy
Interests: seafood processing and quality; emerging technologies; valorization of seafood by-products
Dr. Junior Bernardo Molina-Hernández

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Agri-Food Science and Technology, University of Bologna UNIBO, Cesena, Italy
Interests: emerging technologies and mechanism of action; food quality and safety; antifungal effect

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cold plasma technology has proven to be a promising tool for improving food quality and safety, as it can inactivate pathogens, extend shelf life, and preserve nutritional content without compromising the sensory properties of food. As research and development in this field continue to advance, cold plasma technology holds immense potential to revolutionize the way we produce, process, and consume food.

In this Special Issue, we would like to highlight the latest advances, challenges, and applications of cold plasma technology in the food industry, as well as the potential benefits and limitations of cold plasma technology in food production and processing. Original articles or reviews including, but not limited to, the following topics are welcome: novel cold plasma systems, mechanisms of action, optimization of processing parameters, applications in food packaging and preservation, modification of the functionality of food materials, decontamination of food surfaces, impact on food quality, regulatory considerations and safety assessments, and the use of cold plasma technology to sustainably ensure food safety and quality.

Dr. Silvia Tappi
Guest Editors

Dr. Ana Cristina De Aguiar Saldanha Pinheiro
Dr. Junior Bernardo Molina-Hernández
Co-Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • novel systems
  • food safety
  • food quality
  • pathogen inactivation
  • shelf-life extension
  • surface decontamination
  • non thermal processing
  • functionality of food materials
  • sustainability

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 480 KiB  
Article
Microbial and Quality Changes of Seabream Fillets Processed with Cold Plasma During Refrigerated Storage
by Silvia Tappi, Lorenzo Nissen, Ana Cristina De Aguiar Saldanha Pinheiro, Fabio D’Elia, Flavia Casciano, Giorgia Antonelli, Elena Chiarello, Francesca Soglia, Giulia Baldi, Filippo Capelli, Andrea Gianotti, Alessandra Bordoni, Massimiliano Petracci, Francesco Capozzi, Marco Dalla Rosa and Pietro Rocculi
Foods 2025, 14(9), 1443; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14091443 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 297
Abstract
Cold plasma (CP) is a non-thermal technology, successfully used to decontaminate and extend the shelf-life of various foods. However, CP can cause quality deterioration in sensitive matrices, such as fish products. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of CP treatment obtained using [...] Read more.
Cold plasma (CP) is a non-thermal technology, successfully used to decontaminate and extend the shelf-life of various foods. However, CP can cause quality deterioration in sensitive matrices, such as fish products. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of CP treatment obtained using different gas mixtures (80% Ar/20% O2, or 80% N2/20% O2) with a surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) on the decontamination of spoilage microflora, the main quality indices and the sensory acceptability of seabream (Spaurus aurata L.) fillets during refrigerated storage. At the beginning and at the end of the shelf life, lipid and protein oxidation indices and the fatty acid profile were evaluated. Results showed that, despite a low initial microbial decontamination (0.2–0.3 Log CFU/g), an inhibition of the growth of the main spoilage bacteria was observed resulting in an increase of the microbiological shelf life of around 40% for both treatments. Although a slight increase in lipid and protein oxidation was observed (up to around 5 mg MDA/kg and 4 nmol/mg of protein for TBARs and carbonyl content respectively), the sensory acceptability was higher for plasma treated samples, while the fatty acid profile was not affected and only a slight variation in the surface colour was observed (L* value increase by 3 points), confirming that CP could represent an interesting strategy to extend the shelf life of seafood products with minimal impact on quality and nutritional value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Application of Cold Plasma Technology for Food Quality and Safety)
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21 pages, 3146 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Gliding Arc Discharge Low-Temperature Plasma Pretreatment on Blueberry Drying
by Pengpeng Yu, Wenhui Zhu, Yu Qiao, Xiaonan Yang, Lixin Ma, Yankai Cai and Jianrong Cai
Foods 2025, 14(8), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14081344 - 14 Apr 2025
Viewed by 226
Abstract
This study evaluates the effects of gliding arc discharge low-temperature plasma (GAD-LTP) pretreatment on the drying performance and quality attributes of blueberries. Fresh blueberries were pretreated under varying conditions—treatment durations of 6 s, 12 s, and 18 s and power levels of 300 [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the effects of gliding arc discharge low-temperature plasma (GAD-LTP) pretreatment on the drying performance and quality attributes of blueberries. Fresh blueberries were pretreated under varying conditions—treatment durations of 6 s, 12 s, and 18 s and power levels of 300 W, 600 W, and 900 W—prior to convective hot air drying at 65 °C. Results demonstrate that plasma pretreatment significantly reduced drying time, with an 18 s treatment at 900 W reducing drying time by 31.25%. Moisture diffusion coefficients increased with both treatment duration and power. Under optimal conditions, total phenolic content improved by up to 33.47%, while anthocyanin retention initially declined then recovered, reaching a 7.9% increase over the control. However, plasma-treated samples exhibited darker color due to surface etching and oxidation. Rehydration capacity improved, with a maximum enhancement of 27.94%. Texture analysis indicated increased hardness and decreased adhesiveness and chewiness in treated samples. Overall, GAD-LTP pretreatment enhances drying efficiency and preserves bioactive compounds in dried blueberries, offering a scalable approach for industrial application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Application of Cold Plasma Technology for Food Quality and Safety)
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Review

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16 pages, 1113 KiB  
Review
The Effects of Cold-Plasma Technology on the Quality Properties of Fresh-Cut Produce: A Review
by Yuanpeng Li, Xinmeng Huang, Yuting Yang, Ailikemu Mulati, Jingyang Hong and Jiayi Wang
Foods 2025, 14(2), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020149 - 7 Jan 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2480
Abstract
With improving economic conditions, consumer demand for fresh-cut produce is rising. The development of the fresh-cut industry has been hindered by pathogenic contamination and quality deterioration. Scientific communities have developed novel preservation technologies for fresh-cut produce. As an innovative non-thermal processing method, cold [...] Read more.
With improving economic conditions, consumer demand for fresh-cut produce is rising. The development of the fresh-cut industry has been hindered by pathogenic contamination and quality deterioration. Scientific communities have developed novel preservation technologies for fresh-cut produce. As an innovative non-thermal processing method, cold plasma effectively preserves the nutritional value and inactivates pathogens in fresh-cut produce. This review delineates the principles of cold-plasma generation and concludes with the primary factors influencing its efficacy. These factors include the specifications and parameters of the equipment utilized, the properties of the conductive gas utilized, the method of treatment, and the intrinsic properties of a sample subjected to treatment. Furthermore, this review delineates various scenarios for cold-plasma applications. This review focuses on its effects on enzymatic activities (including peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and pectin methylesterase), pathogenic microorganisms, and nutritional value. This review concludes with the potential application of cold-plasma technology in the processing of fresh-cut products. This study proposes advancing plasma technology in fresh-cut produce processing by (1) optimizing cold-plasma parameters for diverse fruit and vegetable varieties and (2) scaling up to facilitate industrial application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Application of Cold Plasma Technology for Food Quality and Safety)
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