A Comparative Review on Irradiation and Cold Plasma for Low‐Moisture Foods Decontamination: Challenges and Future Outlook

ABSTRACT Low‐moisture foods (LMFs) have an extended shelf life due to their low water activity (≤ 0.85). These foods remain vulnerable to microbial contamination leading to foodborne illnesses and outbreaks. Conventional preservation methods help reduce microbial risks but negatively impact the sensory and nutritional quality of LMFs. Therefore, there is a growing need for advanced preservation techniques like irradiation, focusing on ensuring microbial safety without compromising overall food quality. This review discusses the effects of ionizing irradiations (gamma, x‐ray, and e‐beam), cold plasma (CP), and food matrix properties on microbial reduction and mycotoxin degradation. Ionizing irradiation demonstrates high efficacy in microbial (4–5 log CFU/g reductions) and mycotoxin reduction (60%–80% at 2–5 kGy) through deep penetration, microbial DNA disruption, and oxidative damage. Gamma irradiation, with superior penetration, achieves 3–6 log CFU/g reductions of Salmonella and Listeria at 1–5 kGy in dense foods. E‐beams, with lower penetration, remain effective at higher doses (5–10 kGy), with high D 10 values suggesting pathogen‐specific resistance. In contrast, CP shows considerable potential for surface decontamination and generates reactive species (RS) leading to microbial inactivation via lipid peroxidation and protein denaturation. CP results in 2–5 log CFU/g reductions of bacteria and fungi and 50%–70% mycotoxin reduction. Future research should optimize irradiation for complete sterilization of LMFs and refine CP for surface decontamination. Additionally, advancing equipment design and scaling both technologies are crucial for effective industrial application, and enhancing LMF safety and shelf life are covered in this review.