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The market for ready‐to‐eat (RTE) crustaceans has been expanding in recent years. Conventional heating (CH) (boiling and steaming) has been used for decades for the processing of RTE crustaceans. However, some disadvantages, such as lack of uniformity of heating, low heat transfer efficiency, and generation of a large amount of wastewater, have been highlighted. To optimize the processing for safe and high‐quality RTE crustaceans, the identification of major hazards is necessary and the interventions of green, sustainable, and novel technologies attract increasing attention. In this review, important biological and chemical hazards in crustaceans are discussed. CH and promising novel thermal and nonthermal processing technologies are reviewed with their basic mechanisms and research advances in RTE crustacean processing. Then, challenges and future work are proposed. Biological hazards, including Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus, Salmonella, and Vibrio spp., are of great concern for raw crustaceans. L. monocytogenes is a persistent hazard that places a burden on crustacean processing environments. Most chemical hazards are caused by indigenous habitats, including heavy metals, biotoxins, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. Thermal technologies such as sous vide, moderate electric field, and microwave are promising in RTE crustacean processing. Individual effects on microbial hazards of nonthermal technologies like high‐pressure processing (HPP) and ultrasound (US) are limited. Synergistic effects of less intensity of nonthermal treatment with thermal processes such as HPP‐ and US‐assisted cooking showed great potential and advantages. However, more research is still needed to scale up their use in an industrial setting. Biological hazards, including Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus, Salmonella, and Vibrio spp., and chemical hazards, including heavy metals, biotoxins, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, are of great concern regarding crustaceans and their consumption. To improve the processing of ready‐to‐eat (RTE) crustacean products, novel thermal technologies such as sous vide, moderate electric field, and microwave can be promising substitutes for conventional boiling and steaming. Combining thermal and nonthermal technologies such as high‐pressure processing and ultrasound can also have great potential to improve RTE crustaceans' safety and quality.

The grim situation of bacterial infection has undoubtedly become a major threat to human health. In the context of frequent use of antibiotics, a new bactericidal method is urgently needed to fight against drug-resistant bacteria caused by non-standard use of antibiotics. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is composed of a variety of bactericidal species, which has excellent bactericidal effect on microbes. However, the mechanism of interaction between CAP and bacteria is not completely clear. In this paper, we summarize the mechanisms of bacterial killing by CAP in a systematic manner, discuss the responses of bacteria to CAP treatment that are considered to be related to tolerance and their underlying mechanisms, review the recent advances in bactericidal applications of CAP finally. This review indicates that CAP inhibition and tolerance of survival bacteria are a set of closely related mechanisms and suggests that there might be other mechanisms of tolerance to survival bacteria that had not been discovered yet. In conclusion, this review shows that CAP has complex and diverse bactericidal mechanisms, and has excellent bactericidal effect on bacteria at appropriate doses.Key points• The bactericidal mechanism of CAP is complex and diverse.• There are few resistant bacteria but tolerant bacteria during CAP treatment.• There is excellent germicidal effect when CAP in combination with other disinfectants.

Plant-based or non-dairy milk alternative is the fast growing segment in newer food product development category of functional and specialty beverage across the globe. Nowadays, cow milk allergy, lactose intolerance, calorie concern and prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, more preference to vegan diets has influenced consumers towards choosing cow milk alternatives. Plant-based milk alternatives are a rising trend, which can serve as an inexpensive alternate to poor economic group of developing countries and in places, where cow’s milk supply is insufficient. Though numerous types of innovative food beverages from plant sources are being exploited for cow milk alternative, many of these faces some/any type of technological issues; either related to processing or preservation. Majority of these milk alternatives lack nutritional balance when compared to bovine milk, however they contain functionally active components with health promoting properties which attracts health conscious consumers. In case of legume based milk alternatives, sensory acceptability is a major limiting factor for its wide popularity. New and advanced non-thermal processing technologies such as ultra high temperature treatment, ultra high pressure homogenization, pulsed electric field processing are being researched for tackling the problems related to increase of shelf life, emulsion stability, nutritional completeness and sensory acceptability of the final product. Concerted research efforts are required in coming years in functional beverages segment to prepare tailor-made newer products which are palatable as well as nutritionally adequate.

Changing consumers’ taste for chemical and thermally processed food and preference for perceived healthier minimally processed alternatives is a challenge to food industry. At present, several technologies have found usefulness as choice methods for ensuring that processed food remains unaltered while guaranteeing maximum safety and protection of consumers. However, the effectiveness of most green technology is limited due to the formation of resistant spores by certain foodborne microorganisms and the production of toxins. Cold plasma, a recent technology, has shown commendable superiority at both spore inactivation and enzymes and toxin deactivation. However, the exact mechanism behind the efficiency of cold plasma has remained unclear. In order to further optimize and apply cold plasma treatment in food processing, it is crucial to understand these mechanisms and possible factors that might limit or enhance their effectiveness and outcomes. As a novel non-thermal technology, cold plasma has emerged as a means to ensure the microbiological safety of food. Furthermore, this review presents the different design configurations for cold plasma applications, analysis the mechanisms of microbial spore and biofilm inactivation, and examines the impact of cold plasma on food compositional, organoleptic, and nutritional quality.

Osmotic dehydration (OD) is widely used to partially remove water from plant tissues and enrich it with functional compounds. The high mass transfer resistance of the plant cellular membrane presents a significant barrier to water diffusion in OD. This research shows the positive effect of atmospheric cold plasma (CP) pretreatment on the OD and subsequent convective drying of mushrooms. Microstructure observations showed that CP exposure in the range of 30–90 s significantly changed the surface morphology, which facilitated moisture diffusion and calcium infusion during OD in 30% glucose + 1% calcium hydroxide solution. CP pretreatment, followed by OD, reduced the drying time and energy consumption of convective drying by up to 36.7%. Furthermore, it improved the antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and vitamin C retention of dried mushrooms by 1.36, 1.45, and 2.24 times, respectively, compared to the untreated samples. It was found that this three-stage drying improved the physicochemical and texture properties of the product more effectively than either CP or OD treatment alone.

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is an emerging technology which has increased attraction due to the consumers’ tendency toward fresh and minimally processed food products. This non-thermal technology has been considered as a promising tool for decontamination of foods, modification of food components as well as food packaging. The potential interactions of cold plasma species with food components and consequently its effect on food quality is of high importance. Proteins are the main food constituent in food formulations regarding both nutritional and technological points of view. The susceptibility of native proteins to reactive species created through ACP treatment should be considered regarding the power supply, type of feeding gas and its pressure, exposure time, input voltage and current flow. However, the protein characteristics and the manner in which they are exposed are also important to be considered. This review article is aimed to investigate the technological and nutritional characteristics of proteins during atmospheric cold plasma treatment.

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is a nonthermal technology that is extensively used in several industries. Within the scopes of engineering and biotechnology, some notable applications of ACP include waste management, material modification, medicine, and agriculture. Notwithstanding numerous applications, ACP still encounters a number of challenges such as diverse types of plasma generators and sizes, causing standardization challenges. This review focuses on the uses of ACP in engineering and biotechnology sectors in which the innovation can positively impact the operation process, enhance safety, and reduce cost. Additionally, its limitations are examined. Since ACP is still in its nascent stage, the review will also propose potential research opportunities that can help scientists gain more insights on the technology. Key points • ACP technology has been used in agriculture, medical, and bioprocessing industries. • Chemical study on the reactive species is crucial to produce function-specific ACP. • Different ACP devices and conditions still pose standardization problems.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a promising therapeutic for highly aggressive malignancies given its unique safety and selectivity against redox imbalance and is characterized as a tumor microenvironment (TME) sensitizer, immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducer, and cancer stem cell (CSC) killer that functions through the regulation of cell redox homeostasis.

The effects of glow discharge plasma on siriguela (purple mombin) juice quality were investigated through an experimental design changing the processing time (5–15 min) and the nitrogen gas flow rate (10–30 mL/min). Selected physicochemical properties and bioactive compounds were evaluated pre- and post-processing. No significant changes were found for vitamin C, and the processing did not affect the color of the product. Pigments, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, and B vitamins were increased due to the plasma processing. An increase in antioxidant activity was also observed. Polyphenol oxidase activity showed a decrease of about 20% (20 mL/min of N 2 /15 min), whereas peroxidase presented a slight activation (6%) in some processing conditions. The plasma processing imparted a positive or an adverse effect on the bioactive compounds in siriguela juice showing the importance of the optimization of food processing by cold plasma for real application. This behavior is related to the time intensity of the treatment, which can promote the extraction of the bioactive compound from the juice pulp followed by degradation at higher times or processing intensity. Due to the low pH of siriguela juice, no microbial contamination was found in the processed juices.

Low-moisture foods such as spices, grains, and seeds constitute an important part of the human diet. Increased consumer concern for food safety and food quality has focused on the decontamination technologies required for low-moisture foods. Cold plasma treatment has been a promising novel technology in the food processing industry due to its advantages in safety, efficiency, versatility, and environmentally friendly nature. It has shown various capabilities on safety and quality control in low-moisture foods. This paper comprehensively reviewed the application of cold plasma in low-moisture foods, including inactivation of microorganisms, degradation of mycotoxins, influences on the quality of low-moisture foods, and promotion of seed germination. Cold plasma can inactivate the pathogenic microorganisms on the surface of low-moisture foods, by generating active species, ultraviolet radiation, and electric fields, which helps to extend the shelf life of foods while having minimal impact on food quality. Cold plasma technology is also an effective approach to detoxify mycotoxin-contaminated low-moisture foods by degrading various mycotoxins. With the manipulation of parameters for cold plasma generation, target functional properties of food products may be obtained. In addition, the application of cold plasma in seed germination is promising and could be of great significance to the global food crisis. This review also suggests that more systematic studies are needed to employ cold plasma in the low-moisture foods industry for selected applications.