Application of Low-Temperature Plasma Treatment in Food Production to Intensify Technological Processes and Improve Product Quality

Introduction . Intensification of technological processes is an urgent task in food production. One of the ways to solve this problem is to use progressive techniques, including those based on low-temperature plasma treatment. An analysis of publications devoted to this technological technique made it possible to identify a range of problems that can be eliminated by exposure to cold plasma and to show the advantages and limitations of this method. Purpose . Analysis of information on the purposes, modes and results of the use of direct and indirect treatment by atmospheric plasma on objects and processes of food production. Materials and Methods . To prepare the review, we used peer-reviewed articles published between 2001 and 2023 in English. Information from 128 sources was analyzed in publications indexed in foreign and domestic databases Scopus, Web of Science, eLibrary (RISC), in the ResearchGate social network, archives of the journals Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology, Kvasny prumysl, Foods and raw materials, Storage and processing of agricultural raw materials, Beer and drinks, VSUIT Bulletin, Bulletin of biotechnology and physical and chemical biology named after Yu. A. Ovchinnikov. Based on the primary analysis, 74 sources were selected using keywords for further detailed research. Results . Analysis of the information allowed us to conclude that the use of low-temperature plasma is a multifactorial effect on the objects being processed, since plasma is not only an ionized gas, but also a source of ultraviolet radiation, heat and electrically charged particles. The studied method of influence makes it possible to suppress undesirable fungal and bacterial microflora and even viruses, intensify the extraction of target components of raw materials, inactivate undesirable enzymes and, on the contrary, increase the activity of the necessary biocatalysts, improve the functional and technological properties of raw materials, intermediates and their individual components, and reduce the content of mycotoxins. The existing limitations of the use of atmospheric plasma are noted, due to the lack of information about the changes it causes in the chemical composition of the food product and its organoleptic characteristics, the potential accumulation of xenobiotics as a result of the destruction of microbial cells, as well as the lack of a unified principle for the development of devices for generating plasma and parameters for its use. Conclusions . Low-temperature plasma treatment can be an effective tool for solving a wide range of problems in food technology, but its implementation on an industrial scale requires development of its implementation modes, the use of rational equipment and proof of the absence of negative consequences of using such a technique within a specific technology.