Microbial, chemical qualities and shelf-life of blue swimming crab (Portunus armatus) lump meat as influenced by in-package high voltage cold plasma treatment

Effect of liquid nitrogen freezing pretreatment on the meat quality of gazami crab (Portunus trituberculatus) during frozen storage

Liquid nitrogen freezing (LNF) pretreatment is an effective means of maintaining seafood quality during frozen storage. To improve the meat quality of gazami crab (Portunus trituberculatus) during frozen storage, this study investigated the effects of LNF temperatures on the meat quality of gazami crab. Fresh crab was pre-treated with different LNF temperatures (-60 °C, -80 °C, -100 °C, -120 °C), and then freeze in refrigerator at -18 °C. The changes in protein structure and meat quality of gazami crab during long-term frozen storage were measured. The results showed that -100 °C LNF more effectively inhibited the oxidative deterioration of crab meat during storage, which is lower than the optimal LNF temperature for shell free aquatic products such as fish, extending the shelf life of frozen gazami crab to 4 months. This study enriches the application parameters of LNF in freezing industry of crustacean aquatic products, providing guidance for exploring the optimal LNF temperature of aquatic products.

Effects of Cold Plasma Treatment Conditions on the Lipid Oxidation Kinetics of Tilapia Fillets

This study investigated the effects of different cold plasma treatment conditions on the lipid oxidation kinetics of tilapia fillets. The results indicated that increasing the voltage and prolonging the treatment time of cold plasma could cause an increase in the peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance values of the fillets. The changes in the primary and secondary oxidation rates of the lipids in the fillets under different treatment conditions were consistent with zero-order reaction kinetics. The analysis of the fitting of the Arrhenius equation showed that the effect of treatment voltage on the activation energy of lipid oxidation was higher than that of treatment time. When the voltage was higher than 64.71 kV, the activation energy of the primary oxidation of lipids was greater than that of secondary oxidation. Within 0-5 min, the activation energy of primary oxidation first increased then decreased, and was always greater than that of secondary oxidation. Therefore, the primary lipid oxidation of tilapia was more sensitive to the treatment conditions of cold plasma.

The impact of cold plasma innovative technology on quality and safety of refrigerated hamburger: Analysis of microbial safety and physicochemical properties

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is an innovative non-thermal decontamination technology that is considered a great alternative to conventional preservation methods. Most importantly, improving microbial safety along with maintaining the sensory and quality properties of the treated foods, especially for perishable products. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of novel dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and Jet cold plasma systems and their impact on the physicochemical, color, and sensory properties of refrigerated hamburger samples. In the current study, hamburger samples were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Molds and Yeasts microbial suspension (~10⁶ CFU/mL), and then were treated with argon (Ar), helium (He), nitrogen (N), and atmosphere (Atm) gases at different times (s) (0, 30, 60, 90, 180, 360). Similarly, uninoculated samples were considered for total viable count (TVC) testing. The results exhibited that plasma system type, gas type, and treatment time had a significant antimicrobial effect with a microbial reduction ranging from 0.01 to 2 log CFU/g and 0.04-1.5 log CFU/g for DBD and Jet plasma systems, respectively. Also, a treatment time longer than 90 s for DBD and 180 s for jet resulted in a significant reduction in microbial count. The ability of atmospheric cold plasma to inactivate tested foodborne pathogenic bacteria (E. coli and S. aureus) was stronger than other gases because the concentration of O₃ and NO gases in atmospheric plasma is higher than other used plasma gases. Surface color measurements (L*, a* and b*) of samples in both methods (DBD and Jet) were not significantly affected. Moreover, samples treated with various plasma gases have indicated insignificant oxidation changes (Thiobarbituric acid assay). These outcomes can assist to reduce microbial contamination and oxidation of hamburgers as a high-consumption and perishable product using ACP technology. Owing to the non-thermal nature of ACP, samples treated with ACP have exhibited no or least effects on the physical, chemical, and sensory features of various food products. As a result, cold plasma innovative technology can be proposed and used as an efficient preservative method to increase the shelf life of food products.

Toward in-process technology-aided automation for enhanced microbial food safety and quality assurance in milk and beverages processing

Ensuring the safety of food products is critical to food production and processing. In food processing and production, several standard guidelines are implemented to achieve acceptable food quality and safety. This notwithstanding, due to human limitations, processed foods are often contaminated either with microorganisms, microbial byproducts, or chemical agents, resulting in the compromise of product quality with far-reaching consequences including foodborne diseases, food intoxication, and food recall. Transitioning from manual food processing to automation-aided food processing (smart food processing) which is guided by artificial intelligence will guarantee the safety and quality of food. However, this will require huge investments in terms of resources, technologies, and expertise. This study reviews the potential of artificial intelligence in food processing. In addition, it presents the technologies and methods with potential applications in implementing automated technology-aided processing. A conceptual design for an automated food processing line comprised of various operational layers and processes targeted at enhancing the microbial safety and quality assurance of liquid foods such as milk and beverages is elaborated.

Recent trends and technological development in plasma as an emerging and promising technology for food biosystems

The rising need for wholesome, fresh, safe and “minimally-processed” foods has led to pioneering research activities in the emerging non-thermal technology of food processing. Cold plasma is such an innovative and promising technology that offers several potential applications in the food industry. It uses the highly reactive, energetic and charged gas molecules and species to decontaminate the food and package surfaces and preserve the foods without causing thermal damage to the nutritional and quality attributes of food. Cold plasma technology showed promising results about the inactivation of pathogens in the food industry without affecting the food quality. It is highly effective for surface decontamination of fruits and vegetables, but extensive research is required before its commercial utilization. Recent patents are focused on the applications of cold plasma in food processing and preservation. However, further studies are strongly needed to scale up this technology for future commercialization and understand plasma physics for getting better results and expand the applications and benefits. This review summarizes the emerging trends of cold plasma along with its recent applications in the food industry to extend shelf life and improve the quality of food. It also gives an overview of plasma generation and principles including mechanism of action. Further, the patents based on cold plasma technology have also been highlighted comprehensively for the first time.