Effects of Low-dose Electron Beam Irradiation on Respiration, Microbiology, Texture, Color, and Sensory Characteristics of Fresh-cut Cantaloupe Stored in Modified-atmosphere Packages

Nonthermal plasma-activated water: A comprehensive review of this new tool for enhanced food safety and quality

Nonthermal plasma (NTP) is an advanced technology that has gained extensive attention because of its capacity for decontaminating food from both biological and chemical sources. Plasma-activated water (PAW), a product of NTP's reaction with water containing a rich diversity of highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), is now being considered as the primary reactive chemical component in food decontamination. Despite exciting developments in this field recently, at present there is no comprehensive review specifically focusing on the comprehensive effects of PAW on food safety and quality. Although PAW applications in biological decontamination have been extensively evaluated, a complete analysis of the most recent developments in PAW technology (e.g., PAW combined with other treatments, and PAW applications in chemical degradation and as curing agents) is nevertheless lacking. Therefore, this review focuses on PAW applications for enhanced food safety (both biological and chemical safeties) according to the latest studies. Further, the subsequent effects on food quality (chemical, physical, and sensory properties) are discussed in detail. In addition, several recent trends of PAW developments, such as curing agents, thawing media, preservation of aquatic products, and the synergistic effects of PAW in combination with other traditional treatments, are also presented. Finally, this review outlines several limitations presented by PAW treatment, suggesting several future research directions and challenges that may hinder the translation of these technologies into real-life applications.

Changes in quality, liking, and purchase intent of irradiated fresh-cut spinach during storage

The use of ionizing radiation to enhance microbial safety of fresh spinach at a maximum dose of 4 kGy has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, whether spinach can tolerate those high doses of radiation is unclear. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of irradiation and storage on quality, liking, and purchase intent of fresh-cut spinach. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity values and total phenolic content were not consistently affected by irradiation. However, the ascorbic acid content of irradiated sample decreased rapidly during storage, resulting in these samples being lower in ascorbic acid content than controls after 7 and 14 d of storage at 4 °C. Sensory evaluation by a 50-member panel revealed that purchase intent and ratings for liking of appearance, aroma, texture, flavor, and overall were not affected by irradiation at doses up to 2 kGy. Therefore, irradiation at doses up to 2 kGy may be used to enhance microbial safety without affecting consumer acceptance or overall antioxidant values of irradiated spinach.