Emerging Iced Functional Waters Technologies and Their Applications in Food Preservation

Food spoilage, driven by exogenous microorganisms and endogenous enzymes, challenges preservation. Traditional water ice (TW ice), valued for simplicity and minimal flavor impact, has key limitations: weak microbial inactivation, limited shelf-life extension, and melting-phase cross-contamination risks. Consequently, emerging iced functional water technologies are gaining interest. This review summarizes the preparation, mechanisms, and applications of six types: acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) ice, ozone water ice, slurry ice (SI), plasma-activated water (PAW) ice, composite functional ice, and photodynamic inactivation (PDI) ice. Under optimized conditions in selected studies, iced functional waters technologies achieved microbial reduction efficiencies of up to 99.9%, with the majority documenting reductions ranging from 80% to 99% based on specific products and process conditions. Moreover, they also suppressed enzymatic activity and mitigated deterioration in color, pH, texture, and lipid oxidation. Consequently, in comparison with TW ice, the iced functional waters displayed superior efficacy in extending the shelf-life of aquatic products and meat products, although the extension magnitude varied with ice type, food matrix, and storage parameters. However, large-scale commercialization is hindered by the poor stability of active components, insufficient antimicrobial efficacy, and a lack of scalable equipment. Moreover, fragmented international safety standards and regulatory frameworks, especially for emerging technologies like PAW ice and PDI ice, complicate global market entry. This review proposes practical strategies to address these barriers, including natural stabilizers, integration with complementary technologies, protective coatings, intelligent production systems, and dedicated standards, aiming to support efficient, sustainable refrigeration solutions for the food industry.