INFORM April 2026

46 INFORM APRIL 2026 , VOL. 37, NO. 4

EFFECTIVENESS OF VARIOUS PLASMA TREATMENTS ON NUTRIENT RETENTION AND FOOD QUALITY: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS AND IMPACT Gupta, R.K., et al. , Applied Food Research , 5, 2, 101422, 2025. The growing need to find non-thermal processing technology has increased the pace of research on minimal processing, high-quality, and safe foods. Cold plasma (CP) has been one of such techniques, and it is promising as an environmentally friendly and energy efficient method with the ability to decontaminate food surfaces without affecting nutritional and sensory properties. This review thoroughly addresses the concepts, operation and various discharge setups of CP such as dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), corona discharge (CD), plasma jet (PJ), gliding arc discharge (GAD), microwave plasma (MP) and plasma activated water (PAW) and its application prospects in food processing and preservation. The principles of the plasma generation and microbial inactivation mechanism are described, and it is highlighted that the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) have a significant role in

find trans -fat reduction methods. This research proposes an innovative approach for the production of healthier trans -fat-free margarine from palm oil by the use of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma technology with glycerol serving as the principal source of hydrogen. The effectiveness of DBD plasma in hydrogenating palm olein was investigated. By employing a methodical series of experiments and thorough analytical approaches, examination of the saturated fatty acid conversion experienced its iodine value (IV) reduction from 67.16 ± 0.70 to 31.61 ± 1.10 under the optimal process parameters of 1 L min −1 He flow rate, 35 W plasma discharge power, 10 mm gap size, ambient initial temperature, and 12 h reaction time with solid texture. According to the method for producing trans -fat-free margarine in the absence of a catalyst and H 2 gas, the hydrogenation rate of the prepared mixture of palm olein-glycerol was remarkably improved; the trans -fat content in the produced product was zero; the efficacy of incorporating cis - and trans -isomerization was lowered, and the method has a promising industrial application prospect.

the process of adequately decontaminating. The effects of CP in the critical alteration of the major food components: proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, bioactive compounds are critically discussed, which proves the ability of the compound to change the physicochemical, rheological, and functional properties without significant thermal damage. Besides, the review indicates the versatility of CP in increasing shelf life, enhancing extraction performance, increasing starch and protein structures, and countering microbial and enzymatic degradation. Plasma efficacy is also addressed in terms of factors such as processing parameters, gas composition and characteristics of food matrix. In spite of the enormous industrial potential of CP, issues of equipment design, discharge uniformity and regulatory validation still exist. All in all, CP is a viable and controllable technology that unites food safety and quality preservation, and it gives a modernized alternative to traditional thermal treatments as well as establishing the future generations of food processing technologies.

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