Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Food Safety: Cold Plasma Technology for Mycotoxin and Fungi on Food

Boque Laura^* Department Food Processing, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
^*Correspondence: Boque Laura, Department Food Processing, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia, Email:

Received: 02-Oct-2023, Manuscript No. JFPT-23-23323; Editor assigned: 05-Oct-2023, Pre QC No. JFPT-23-23323 (PQ); Reviewed: 20-Oct-2023, QC No. JFPT-23-23323; Revised: 27-Oct-2023, Manuscript No. JFPT-23-23323 (R); Published: 03-Nov-2023, DOI: 10.35248/2157-7110.23.14.1057

Description

Cold plasma technology is being increasingly utilized in the food industry as an effective and safe method for controlling toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins. This revolutionary technology uses cold, ionized gas or plasma to inactivate microorganisms on the surface of food products with a minimal effect on their quality and shelf life. Cold plasma offers an extremely fast, efficient, and cost-effective solution for reducing the risk of contamination by mycotoxins. Using cold plasma technology for controlling toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins offers several advantages over other methods. Firstly, it is non-toxic: no toxic residues remain on the treated product after treatment so there is no risk of poisoning from consumption. It does not damage produce: cold plasma treatment does not adversely affect product quality, taste or texture so treated products remain safe for consumption. It reduces costs: compared to other treatments such as chemical fumigation or irradiation, cold plasma treatment is much more cost-effective. Cold plasma technology has many potential applications in the food industry. It can be used to control fungal growth on grains prior to storage; to extend shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables to reduce pathogens on meat and even to decontaminate surfaces in processing plants or warehouses where fungus may be present. In addition, cold plasma has been found to be effective at reducing levels of mycotoxins compounds produced by certain types of mould which can be hazardous if consumed. Cold Plasma Technology has emerged as a viable option to control toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in food. Contamination of food with mycotoxins is a major concern for food safety and public health worldwide. These toxins are produced by certain toxigenic fungi that cause spoilage or contamination of food products. The most common species of toxigenic fungi that produce mycotoxins in food include Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, and Alternaria.

Mycotoxin contamination in the food can lead to adverse health effects for humans when consumed. However, Cold Plasma Technology is an effective method for controlling the growth of toxigenic fungi and reducing the levels of mycotoxins in food. Cold plasma is generated by using high electric potentials to ionize gases like oxygen or argon into reactive species such as atomic oxygen, nitrogen oxide, hydrogen peroxide, ozone, etc which have antimicrobial activities against microbes like bacteria, virus and fungi which can cause spoilage of foods and lead to the production of mycotoxins. It has been reported that cold plasma treatment can reduce fungal population on the surface of fruits and vegetables up to 97%. Thus not only does it reduce spoilage but also helps reduce mycotoxin generation by eliminating the source organism which produces them. The efficacy of this technology depends largely on process parameters such as plasma energy density, exposure time and type of gas used which should be carefully selected depending upon the nature of target microbe so as to achieve optimal microbial reduction while avoiding any damage to the quality of treated product. Moreover, cold plasma is ecological due to its non- thermal characteristics enabling it retain nutritional value along with its ability to achieve maximum microbial reduction.

This further increases its advantage over other thermal techniques used for pathogen elimination from foods like Heat pasteurization or Ultraviolet irradiation which may cause loss in nutrients due to their thermal effects or may require significant capital investment. Overall cold plasma technology is an attractive alternative for controlling toxin producing microbes on food surfaces without compromising on nutritional value or quality while causing minimal damage to treated products compared with other traditional methods available currently. Hence there is a tremendous potential for using this technology as an efficient tool for minimizing toxin load in foods thus reducing health risk associated with ingestion of contaminated foods. Cold plasma technology has become increasingly popular as a viable food safety solution to control toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in food.

The technology works by using cold atmospheric plasma on food samples to break down the chemical structure of mycotoxins, thereby reducing their toxicity and making them safe for consumption. This innovative approach to food safety has numerous potential benefits, including improved shelf life stability, increased product quality, minimized risk of contamination, reduced waste, and fewer instances of illness caused by consuming tainted food items. The effectiveness of cold plasma technology when it comes to controlling toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in food is supported by scientific research which has demonstrated that the technology can provide up to 70% reduction in mycotoxin levels. This is an impressive improvement over traditional methods, meaning that cold plasma technology could potentially revolutionize the way that approach food safety management. Using cold plasma technology as a means of controlling toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins has multiple advantages over traditional methods. First, it is more efficient since it does not require additional chemicals or processing steps such as pasteurization or fermentation.