Effects of Atmospheric-Pressure Cold Plasma Treatment on Deoxynivalenol Degradation, Quality Parameters, and Germination of Barley Grains

Fusarium mycotoxins: The major food contaminants

Mycotoxins, which are secondary metabolites produced by toxicogenic fungi, are natural food toxins that cause acute and chronic adverse reactions in humans and animals. The genus Fusarium is one of three major genera of mycotoxin-producing fungi. Trichothecenes, fumonisins, and zearalenone are the major Fusarium mycotoxins that occur worldwide. Fusarium mycotoxins have the potential to infiltrate the human food chain via contamination during crop production and food processing, eventually threatening human health. The occurrence and development of Fusarium mycotoxin contamination will change with climate change, especially with variations in temperature, precipitation, and carbon dioxide concentration. To address these challenges, researchers have built a series of effective models to forecast the occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins and provide guidance for crop production. Fusarium mycotoxins frequently exist in food products at extremely low levels, thus necessitating the development of highly sensitive and reliable detection techniques. Numerous successful detection methods have been developed to meet the requirements of various situations, and an increasing number of methods are moving toward high-throughput features. Although Fusarium mycotoxins cannot be completely eliminated, numerous agronomic, chemical, physical, and biological methods can lower Fusarium mycotoxin contamination to safe levels during the preharvest and postharvest stages. These theoretical innovations and technological advances have the potential to facilitate the development of comprehensive strategies for effectively managing Fusarium mycotoxin contamination in the future.

Recent advances in the degradation efficacy and mechanisms of mycotoxins in food by atmospheric cold plasma

Food contaminated by mycotoxins has become a worldwide public problem with political and economic implications. Although a variety of traditional methods have been used to eliminate mycotoxins from agri-foods, the results have been somewhat less than satisfactory. As an emerging non-thermal processing technology, atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) has great potential for food decontamination. Herein, this review mainly presents the degradation efficiency of ACP on mycotoxins in vitro and agri-foods as well as its possible degradation mechanisms. Meanwhile, ACP effects on food quality, factors affecting the degradation efficiency and the toxicity of degradation products are also discussed. According to the literatures, ACP could efficiently degrade many mycotoxins (e.g., aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin A, fumonisin, and T-2 toxin) both in vitro and various foods (e.g., hazelnut, peanut, maize, rice, wheat, barley, oat flour, and date palm fruit) with little effects on the nutritional and sensory properties of food. The degradation efficacy was dependent on many factors including ACP treatment parameter, working gas, mycotoxin property, and food substrate. The mycotoxin degradation by ACP was mainly attributed to the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in ACP, which can damage the chemical bonds of mycotoxins, consequently reducing the toxicity of mycotoxins.

Advancements in Plasma Agriculture: A Review of Recent Studies

This review is devoted to a topic of high interest in recent times-the use of plasma technologies in agriculture. The increased attention to these studies is primarily due to the demand for the intensification of food production and, at the same time, the request to reduce the use of pesticides. We analyzed publications, focusing on research conducted in the last 3 years, to identify the main achievements of plasma agrotechnologies and key obstacles to their widespread implementation in practice. We considered the main types of plasma sources used in this area, their advantages and limitations, which determine the areas of application. We also considered the use of plasma-activated liquids and the efficiency of their production by various types of plasma sources.

Degradation of deoxynivalenol in wheat by double dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma: identification and pathway of degradation products

BACKGROUND

Deoxynivalenol (DON) produced during the onset of fusarium head blight not only affects the quality and safety of wheat but also causes serious harm to human and livestock health. However, due to the high stability of DON, it is difficult to eliminate it or reduce it naturally after it has been produced. Cold plasma technology is a non-thermophysical processing technology that has been widely used for microbial inactivation and mycotoxin degradation. In this study, the degradation efficiency of double dielectric barrier discharge (DDBD) cold plasma on DON in aqueous solution and wheat was studied; the structures of degradation products of DON and its pathway were clarified, and the effect of DDBD plasma on wheat quality was evaluated.

RESULTS

Double dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma was used for efficient degradation of DON (0.5 ~ 5 μgmL^-1) solution and achieved a degradation rate of 98.94% within 25 min under the optimal conditions (voltage 100 V, frequency 200 Hz, duty cycle 80%). Furthermore, 10 degradation products (C₁₅ H₂₄ O₅ , C₁₅ H₂₂ O₆ , C₁₅ H₂₂ O₉ , C₁₆ H₂₂ O₇ , C₁₅ H₂₀ O₇ , C₁₅ H₂₀ O₉ , C₁₅ H₁₈ O₈ , C₁₅ H₂₂ O₅ , C₁₆ H₂₄ O₅ , and C₁₅ H₁₈ O₉ ) were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOF-MS/MS) combined with Metabolitepilot and Peakview software. The degradation pathway of DON was obtained based on the chemical structures and accurate mass of these products. The DON degradation rate of 61% in wheat was achieved after treatment for 15 min, which slightly affects the moisture content, proteins, and wheat starch.

CONCLUSION

Applying DDBD to wheat could effectively reduce the level of DON contamination, which provides a theoretical basis for applying cold plasma to the degradation of DON in wheat. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

In-package cold plasma treatment for microbial inactivation in plastic-pouch packaged steamed rice cakes

In-package atmospheric cold plasma (ICP) treatment was investigated as a method to inactivate microorganisms in Korean steamed rice cakes (SRCs) packaged in plastic pouches. The effect against Escherichia coli O157:H7 increased with increasing ICP treatment power and time and using nylon-containing pouches. Moreover, E. coli O157:H7 growth was effectively inhibited at 4 and 25 °C when SRCs were in a pouch filled with an O₂-CO₂ (70 % and 30 %) gas. Under optimal treatment power (30 W), treatment time (4 min), and headspace-to-SRC volume ratio (7:1) conditions, ICP effectively inactivated E. coli O157:H7, Bacillus cereus spores, Penicillium chrysogenum, and indigenous aerobic bacteria, as well as yeast and molds in SRCs packaged with air in the nylon/low density polyethylene pouch by 2.2 ± 0.2 log CFU/g, 1.4 ± 0.2 log spores/g, 2.2 ± 0.3 log spores/g, 1.1 ± 0.2 log CFU/g, and 1.0 ± 0.1 log CFU/g, respectively. Furthermore, post-treatment storage was effective in preventing the growth of E. coli O157:H7 in SRCs at 4 °C and 25 °C when the pouch was filled with N₂-CO₂ (50 % and 50 %) or O₂-CO₂ (70 % and 30 %). Collectively, these findings indicate that ICP treatment effectively decontaminates SRCs and represents a potential non-thermal microbial decontamination technology for SRCs in pouch packaging.

Processing strategies to improve the breadmaking potential of whole-grain wheat and non-wheat flours

Strategies to increase the bio-functionality of staple food, such as bread, by incorporating whole-grain wheat flour or flour from other, non-wheat grains instead of refined wheat flour are often constrained with the lack of their techno-functionality, despite the associated beneficial effect on consumers' health and well-being. Most of the available studies investigating the possibilities to improve technological and sensory quality of bread prepared using whole-grain wheat and non-wheat flours still rely on formulation approaches in which different additives and novel ingredients are used as structuring agents. Less attention has been given to technological approaches which could be applied to induce structural changes on biopolymer level and thus increase the breadmaking potential of whole grains such as: modification of grain and biopolymers structure by germination, flour particle size reduction, dry-heat or hydrothermal treatment, atmospheric cold plasma, high-pressure processing or ultrasound treatment. Strategies to modify processing variables during breadmaking like dough kneading and hydration modification, sourdough fermentation or non-conventional baking techniques application are also poorly exploited for bread preparation from non-wheat grains. In this paper, the challenges and opportunities of abovementioned processing strategies for the development of bread with whole-wheat flours and non-wheat flours from underutilised gluten-containing or gluten-free cereals and pseudocereals will be reviewed throughout the whole breadmaking chain: from grain to bread and from milling to baking. Feasibility of different strategies to increase the technological performance and sensory quality of bread based on whole-grain wheat flours or flours from other, non-wheat grains will be addressed considering both the environmental, safety and nutritive advantages.

Current Review of Mycotoxin Biodegradation and Bioadsorption: Microorganisms, Mechanisms, and Main Important Applications

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi. Food/feed contamination by mycotoxins is a great threat to food safety. The contamination can occur along the food chain and can cause many diseases in humans and animals, and it also can cause economic losses. Many detoxification methods, including physical, chemical, and biological techniques, have been established to eliminate mycotoxins in food/feed. The biological method, with mycotoxin detoxification by microorganisms, is reliable, efficient, less costly, and easy to use compared with physical and chemical ones. However, it is important to discover the metabolite's toxicity resulting from mycotoxin biodegradation. These compounds can be less or more toxic than the parent. On the other hand, mechanisms involved in a mycotoxin's biological control remain still unclear. Mostly, there is little information about the method used by microorganisms to control mycotoxins. Therefore, this article presents an overview of the most toxic mycotoxins and the different microorganisms that have a mycotoxin detoxification ability. At the same time, different screening methods for degradation compound elucidation are given. In addition, the review summarizes mechanisms of mycotoxin biodegradation and gives some applications.

Removal of Alternaria mycotoxins exposed to different food components by cold plasma

Alternariol (AOH) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), the two Alternaria mycotoxins with the highest outbreak rates in food systems, could be effectively reduced by cold plasma. This research evaluated the impact of food components on the plasma removal of AOH and AME. The results showed that 6% whey protein or ovalbumin almost completely inhibited the reduction of AOH or AME. Polyphenols inhibited the removal of AOH and AME by up to 90.8% and 83.4%, respectively. Organic acids and Vc reduced AME removal by up to 43.4% and 31.9%, respectively, but had little effect on AOH removal. Sugars and amino acids could decrease both toxin removal by less than 10%. Proteins exhibited the most inhibitory effect on plasma removal of AOH and AME, followed by polyphenols, while the effect of other components was relatively small. AOH and AME removal by cold plasma was highly related to H₂O₂ produced during plasma discharge.

The Effect of Pre-Treatment of Arabica Coffee Beans with Cold Atmospheric Plasma, Microwave Radiation, Slow and Fast Freezing on Antioxidant Activity of Aqueous Coffee Extract

Thermal and non-thermal technologies used in food processing should be not only effective in terms of decontamination and preservation but also minimize undesirable losses of natural bioactive compounds. Arabica (Coffea arabica) is the most cultivated variety of coffee, making it a valuable source of phytonutrients, including antioxidants. In the present study, green and roasted Arabica coffee beans were treated with slow freezing (SF), fast freezing (FF), microwave radiation (MWR) and cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). Moisture content (MC) of coffee beans and antioxidant activity (AOA) of aqueous extracts were measured. Green coffee showed a decrease in MC after MWR treatment, and roasted coffee showed an increase in MC after freezing. After SF and FF at −19 °C for 24 h, all extract samples showed an increase in AOA by 4.1–17.2%. MWR treatment at 800 W for 60 s was accompanied by an increase in the AOA of green coffee extracts by 5.7%, while the changes in the AOA of roasted coffee extracts were insignificant. Sequential combined treatments of SF + MWR and FF + MWR resulted in an additive/synergistic increase in the AOA of green/roasted coffee extracts, up to +23.0%. After CAP treatment with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) parameters of 1 μs, 15 kV and 200 Hz for 5 and 15 min, green coffee showed a decrease in the extract AOA by 3.8% and 9.7%, respectively, while the changes in the AOA of roasted coffee extracts were insignificant. A high positive correlation (r = 0.89, p < 0.001) between AOA and MC was revealed. The results obtained indicate that SF, FF, MWR and combined treatments may be applied at the pre-extraction stage of coffee bean preparation in order to increase the yield of antioxidant extractives.

Deoxynivalenol: An Overview on Occurrence, Chemistry, Biosynthesis, Health Effects and Its Detection, Management, and Control Strategies in Food and Feed

Mycotoxins are fungi-produced secondary metabolites that can contaminate many foods eaten by humans and animals. Deoxynivalenol (DON), which is formed by Fusarium, is one of the most common occurring predominantly in cereal grains and thus poses a significant health risk. When DON is ingested, it can cause both acute and chronic toxicity. Acute signs include abdominal pain, anorexia, diarrhea, increased salivation, vomiting, and malaise. The most common effects of chronic DON exposure include changes in dietary efficacy, weight loss, and anorexia. This review provides a succinct overview of various sources, biosynthetic mechanisms, and genes governing DON production, along with its consequences on human and animal health. It also covers the effect of environmental factors on its production with potential detection, management, and control strategies.

Novel nonthermal food processing practices: Their influences on nutritional and technological characteristics of cereal proteins

Cereals, as the main crops cultivated and consumed in the world, are a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fiber, and minerals. Despite the nutritional importance, their technological applicability in food matrices is also considerably important to be determined. Cereal processing is done to achieve goals as increasing the shelf‐life, obtaining the desired technological function, and enhancing the nutritional value. Nonthermal processing is preferred regarding its potential to provide beneficial impacts with minimum adverse effect. Technological functionality and nutritional performance are considered as the most basic challenges through cereal processing, with proteins as the main factor to take part in such roles. Technological and nutritional functionalities of proteins have been found to be changed through nonthermal processing, which is generally attributed to conformational and structural changes. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate the impact of nonthermal processing on nutritional and technological characteristics of cereal proteins.

Biochemical and Physiological Plant Processes Affected by Seed Treatment with Non-Thermal Plasma

Among the innovative technologies being elaborated for sustainable agriculture, one of the most rapidly developing fields relies on the positive effects of non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatment on the agronomic performance of plants. A large number of recent publications have indicated that NTP effects are far more persistent and complex than it was supposed before. Knowledge of the molecular basis and the resulting outcomes of seed treatment with NTP is rapidly accumulating and requires to be analyzed and presented in a systematic way. This review focuses on the biochemical and physiological processes in seeds and plants affected by seed treatment with NTP and the resulting impact on plant metabolism, growth, adaptability and productivity. Wide-scale changes evolving at the epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolic levels are triggered by seed irradiation with NTP and contribute to changes in germination, early seedling growth, phytohormone amounts, metabolic and defense enzyme activity, secondary metabolism, photosynthesis, adaptability to biotic and abiotic stress, microbiome composition, and increased plant fitness, productivity and growth on a longer time scale. This review highlights the importance of these novel findings, as well as unresolved issues that remain to be investigated.

Feasibility of atmospheric cold plasma for the elimination of food hazards: Recent advances and future trends

In recent decades, food safety has emerged as a worldwide public health issue with economic and political implications. Pesticide residues, mycotoxins, allergens, and antinutritional factors are the primary concerns associated with food products due to their potential adverse health effects. Although various conventional processing methods (such as washing, peeling, and cooking) have been used to reduce or eliminate these hazards from agricultural food materials, the results obtained are not quite satisfactory. Recently, atmospheric cold plasma (ACP), an emerging low -temperature and green processing technology, has shown great potential for mitigating food hazards. However, detailed descriptions of the effects of ACP treatment on food hazards are still not available. Thus, the current review aims to highlight recent studies on the efficacy and application of ACP in the reduction or elimination of pesticide residues, mycotoxins, allergens, and antinutritional factors in various food products. The possible working mechanisms of ACP and its effect on food quality, and the toxicity of degradation products are emphatically discussed. In addition, multiple factors affecting the efficacy of ACP are summarized in detail. At the same time, the major technical challenges for practical application and future development prospects of this emerging technology are also highlighted.

Effect of Plasma-Activated Water on Shewanella putrefaciens Population Growth and Quality of Yellow River Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Fillets

ABSTRACT

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a new sanitizer that has received considerable attention for application in food industries. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of PAW on the inactivation of Shewanella putrefaciens and quality attributes of Yellow River carp (Cyprinus carpio) fillets. The carp fillet samples were immersed in sterile deionized water (SDW) or SDW activated by plasma discharge for 120 s (PAW120) for 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, or 6.0 min. After being treated by PAW120 for 6 min, the population of S. putrefaciens on carp fillets was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased by 1.03 log CFU/g. Compared with SDW-treated samples, the L* value of PAW120-treated carp fillets was increased and the a* value was decreased after PAW120 treatment, whereas there was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in the b* value. Compared with SDW, PAW120 caused no significant (P > 0.05) changes in sensory properties and texture attributes of carp fillets including hardness, springiness, gumminess, and cohesiveness. However, 6-min PAW120 treatment caused a significant increase in the lipid oxidation level and a decrease in the pH value of the carp fillets. This work provides a basis for the potential application of PAW in the preservation of aquatic products.

HIGHLIGHTS

Physiological Responses of Young Pea and Barley Seedlings to Plasma-Activated Water

This study demonstrates the indirect effects of non-thermal ambient air plasmas (NTP) on seed germination and plant growth. It investigates the effect of plasma-activated water (PAW) on 3-day-old seedlings of two important farm plants-barley and pea. Applying different types of PAW on pea seedlings exhibited stimulation of amylase activity and had no inhibition of seed germination, total protein concentration or protease activity. Moreover, PAW caused no or only moderate oxidative stress that was in most cases effectively alleviated by antioxidant enzymes and proved by in situ visualization of H₂O₂ and ˙O₂^-. In pea seedlings, we observed a faster turn-over from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism proved by inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity. Additionally, reactive oxygen/nitrogen species contained in PAW did not affect the DNA integrity. On the other hand, the high level of DNA damage in barley together with the reduced root and shoot length and amylase activity was attributed to the oxidative stress caused by PAW, which was exhibited by the enhanced activity of guaiacol peroxidase or ADH. Our results show the glow discharge PAW at 1 min activation time as the most promising for pea. However, determining the beneficial type of PAW for barley requires further investigation.

Quality attributes for barley malt: "The backbone of beer"

Malting is the process of preparing barley for brewing through partial germination followed by drying. This process softens the grain cell wall and stimulates the production of diastatic enzymes, which convert starch into malt extract. The suitability of a barley grain for malt production depends upon a large number of quality parameters that are crucial for the identification and release of high-quality malt varieties. Maintaining tight control of these quality attributes is essential to ensure high processing efficiency and final product quality in brewery and malt house. Therefore, we have summarized the basic malting process and various physiological and biochemical quality parameters that are desirable for better malt quality. This study may provide an understanding of the process, problems faced, and opportunities to maltsters and researchers to improve the malt efficiency by altering the malting process or malt varieties.

Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of deoxynivalenol on CuO-Cu2O/WO3 ternary film: Mechanism and reaction pathways

A ternary film of CuO-Cu₂O/WO₃ possessing high visible-light photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) performance was prepared for degradation of deoxynivalenol (DON). In such a ternary film, the introduction of CuO-Cu₂O significantly promoted the absorption of WO₃ in the visible region and reduced the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. As a result, the CuO-Cu₂O/WO₃ film exhibited high photoelectrochemical activity under visible light illumination. The PEC performance of CuO-Cu₂O/WO₃ film was evaluated by the decoloration of Rhodamine B. The result indicated that the CuO-Cu₂O/WO₃ film exhibited higher PEC activity than WO₃ or CuO-Cu₂O film. When the CuO-Cu₂O/WO₃ film was applied to study the removal of DON, the degradation efficiency reached 87.6% after 180-min PEC treatment. According to reactive oxygen species detected by electron spin resonance analysis, a Z-scheme and type-II PEC mechanism was proposed for this ternary film. Furthermore, the intermediates formed during the PEC degradation process of DON were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography and identified with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. On the basis of sixteen intermediate products identified, we proposed a degradation pathway for DON in such a PEC system.

Applications of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Technology in Medicine, Agriculture and Food Industry

In recent years, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) technology has received substantial attention due to its valuable properties including operational simplicity, low running cost, and environmental friendliness. Several different gases (air, nitrogen, helium, argon) and techniques (corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, plasma jet) can be used to generate plasma at atmospheric pressure and low temperature. Plasma treatment is routinely used in materials science to modify the surface properties (e.g., wettability, chemical composition, adhesion) of a wide range of materials (e.g., polymers, textiles, metals, glasses). Moreover, CAPP seems to be a powerful tool for the inactivation of various pathogens (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses) in the food industry (e.g., food and packing material decontamination, shelf life extension), agriculture (e.g., disinfection of seeds, fertilizer, water, soil) and medicine (e.g., sterilization of medical equipment, implants). Plasma medicine also holds great promise for direct therapeutic treatments in dentistry (tooth bleaching), dermatology (atopic eczema, wound healing) and oncology (melanoma, glioblastoma). Overall, CAPP technology is an innovative, powerful and effective tool offering a broad application potential. However, its limitations and negative impacts need to be determined in order to receive regulatory approval and consumer acceptance.

Application of Novel Non-Thermal Physical Technologies to Degrade Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins cause adverse effects on human health. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to confront them, particularly in agriculture and food systems. Non-thermal plasma, electron beam radiation, and pulsed light are possible novel non-thermal technologies offering promising results in degrading mycotoxins with potential for practical applications. In this paper, the available publications are reviewed-some of them report efficiency of more than 90%, sometimes almost 100%. The mechanisms of action, advantages, efficacy, limitations, and undesirable effects are reviewed and discussed. The first foretastes of plasma and electron beam application in the industry are in the developing stages, while pulsed light has not been employed in large-scale application yet.

Technologies for disinfection of food grains: Advances and way forward

Growing demand from the consumers for minimally processed and high-quality food products has raised the scientific quest for foods with improved natural flavours in conjunction with a restricted supplement of additives. In this context, achieving quality and safe food grains and the identification of suitable processing and disinfection technologies have also become the key issues. Microbial contamination is one of the major reasons responsible for the spoilage of food grains. Various sources of contamination such as air and water (both contaminated with dust and dirt), animals (insects, birds, rodents), environmental conditions (rainfall, drought, temperature), unhygienic handling, harvesting, processing equipment and improper storage conditions are responsible for the microbial spoilage of food grains. In order to maintain the food grains safe and un-contaminated, several food processing technologies have been explored and implemented, with the ultimate purpose of maintaining the safety, freshness and nutritional attributes of the food products. Among these technologies, microwave, radiofrequency, infrared, ohmic heating, novel drying methods along with non-thermal methods such as cold plasma, irradiation, ozonation and nanotechnology have attracted much attention because of considerable reduction in the overall processing time with minimum energy consumption. This review aims to discuss the advances involving the said technologies for controlling the microbial contamination of food grains in accordance with their inactivation. Current research status of the thermal and non-thermal emerging technologies for the preservation of food grains as well as perspectives for further research in this area are also elaborated in detail.

Mechanisms of deoxynivalenol (DON) degradation during different treatments: a review

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the main trichothecenes, that causes health-related issues in humans and animals and imposes considerable financial loss to the food industry each year. Numerous treatments have been reported in the literature on the degradation of DON in food products. These treatments include thermal, chemical, biological/enzymatic, irradiation, light, ultrasound, ozone, and atmospheric cold plasma treatments. Each of these methods has different degradation efficacy and degrades DON by a distinct mechanism, which leads to various degradation byproducts with different toxicity. This manuscript focuses to review the degradation of DON by the aforementioned treatments, the chemical structure and toxicity of the byproducts, and the degradation pathway of DON. Based on the type of treatment, DON can be degraded to norDONs A-F, DON lactones, and ozonolysis products or transformed into de-epoxy deoxynivalenol, DON-3-glucoside, 3-acetyl-DON, 7-acetyl-DON, 15-acetyl-DON, 3-keto-DON, or 3-epi-DON. DON is a major problem for the grain industry and the studies focusing on DON degradation mechanisms could be helpful to select the best method and overcome the DON contamination in grains.

Reduction of T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins by atmospheric cold plasma and its impact on quality changes and germination of wheat grains

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is susceptible to mycotoxin contamination, which can result in significant health risks and economic losses. This research examined the ability of air atmospheric cold plasma (air-ACP) treatment to reduce pure and spiked T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins' concentration on wheat grains. This study also evaluated the effect of ACP treatment using different gases on wheat grain germination parameters. The T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxin solutions applied on round cover-glass were placed on microscopy slides and wheat grains (0.5 g) were individually spiked with T-2 and HT-2 on their surfaces. Samples were then dried at room temperature (∼24 °C) and treated by air-ACP for 1 to 10 min. Ten minutes of air-ACP treatment significantly reduced pure T-2 and HT-2 concentrations by 63.63% and 51.5%, respectively. For mycotoxin spiked on wheat grains, 10 min air-ACP treatment significantly decreased T-2 and HT-2 concentrations up to 79.8% and 70.4%, respectively. No significant change in the measured quality and color parameters was observed in the ACP-treated samples. Wheat grain germination parameters were not significantly different, when treated with ACP using different gases. Air-ACP treatment and ACP treatment using 80% nitrogen + 20% oxygen improved the germination of wheat grains by 10% and 6%, respectively. This study demonstrated that ACP is an innovative technology with the potential to improve the safety of wheat grains by reducing T-2/HT-2 mycotoxins with an additional advantage of improving their germination. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) technology has a huge potential to degrade mycotoxins in food grains. This study evaluated the efficacy of ACP to reduce two major mycotoxins (T-2 and HT-2 toxins) in wheat grains. The results of this study will help to develop and scale-up the ACP technology for mycotoxin degradation in grains.

Emergence of cold plasma and electron beam irradiation as novel technologies to counter mycotoxins in food products

Today, mycotoxins are considered a serious risk for human health and the economy around the world. Hence, dealing with them in such a way as to minimise damage to food and plant materials has become an important issue. Cold atmospheric plasma and electron beam irradiation are updated and non-thermal technologies, which are recently used in detoxification of mycotoxins. Both of these technologies have several unique features that turn them into efficient methods for degrading mycotoxins. Therefore, the main purpose of the present study is exhibiting the detoxification power of these methods and parameters affecting their activity. Besides, their advantages, generating systems, activity mechanism, and the toxicity of degradation products are also reviewed.

Atmospheric cold plasma-assisted pineapple peel waste hydrolysate detoxification for the production of bacterial cellulose

Toxic compounds in pineapple peel waste hydrolysate (PPWH), namely formic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and furfural, are the major predicament in its utilization as a carbon source for bacterial cellulose (BC) fermentation. A rapid detoxification procedures using atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) technique were employed to reduce the toxic compounds. ACP treatment allows the breakdown of toxic compounds without causing excessive breakdown of sugars. Herein, the performance of two available laboratory ACP reactors for PPWH detoxification was being demonstrated. ACP-reactor-1 (R1) runs on plasma power of 80-200 W with argon (Ar) plasma source, while ACP-reactor-2 (R2) runs at 500-600 W with air plasma source. Treatment in R1, at 200 W for 15 min, results in 74.06%, 51.38%, and 21.81% reduction of furfural, HMF, and formic acid. Treatment in R2 at 600 W gives 45.05%, 32.59%, and 60.41% reductions of furfural, HMF, and formic acid. The BC yield from the fermentation of Komagateibacter xylinus in the R1-treated PPWH, R2-treated PPWH, and untreated-PPWH is 2.82, 3.82, and 2.97 g/L, respectively. The results show that ACP treatment provides a novel detoxified strategy in achieving agricultural waste hydrolysate reuse in fermentation. Furthermore, the results also imply that untreated PPWH can be an inexpensive and sustainable resource for fermentation media supplementation.