Effect of cold plasma for modulating macromolecules and bioactive composition of food: Unveiling mechanisms and synergies with other emerging techniques

A significant problem in food quality is the quest for preservation technologies. Due to its low operating temperature and short processing time, cold plasma (CP), as an emerging technology, has found various applications in recent years, such as preserving natural compounds and antimicrobial activity in the food industry. Therefore, this review collected and discussed the latest information on the mechanism of interaction and non-thermal plasma impact on the various functional compounds such as protein, carbohydrates, lipids, and bioactive properties of food. Further, the combined effect of CP with other promising non-thermal technologies has been discussed. As a result of CP treatment, profound changes in the functional properties of food components are observed. Further, CP effectively disinfects microorganisms, inactivates enzymes, and enhances nutritious qualities. In addition to reducing drying time and increasing drying rate, CP pretreatment techniques can improve the dried products' functional and nutritional quality attributes over conventionally pretreated and untreated samples. It also gives an overview of safety aspect of the plasma in food processing. The concept of the combined hurdle effect improved the quality of food significantly, and thus, this area should be explored more to ensure food safety.