food product development proposal

INTRODUCTION • In order to destroy contaminating germs on meats, poultry, fruits, and vegetables, cold plasma is a unique non-thermal food processing technology. • This adaptable sanitizing technique only needs electricity and a carrier gas like air, oxygen, nitrogen, or helium; chemical antimicrobials are not necessary. • UV light and reactive chemical byproducts of the cold plasma ionization process are the main mechanisms of action. • There are numerous cold plasma systems being developed that can run in low pressuretreatment chambers or at atmospheric pressures. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

• Pathogens including Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus can all be reduced by more than 5 logs. • Depending on the food being treated and the processing circumstances, effective treatment timeframes can range from 120 seconds to as low as 3 seconds. • The relatively early stage of technology development, the diversity and complexity of the required equipment, and the mostly unstudied effects of cold plasma therapy on the sensory and nutritional properties of treated foods are the main constraints of cold plasma. • Additionally, depending on the kind of cold plasma generated, different cold plasma systems have different antibacterial mechanisms of action. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

METHODS TO GENERATE PLASMA • Energy is added to a neutral gas to cause the production of charge carriers, which creates plasmas. When neutral atoms and molecules in the feed gas are struck by electrons or photons with enough energy, they form electrons and ions in the gas phase (electron-impact ionisation or photo ionization). • There are several ways to provide a neutral gas the energy it needs to generate plasma. One option is to provide thermal energy, which is employed as the main energy source in exothermic chemical reactions of molecules, such as in flames. The gas can heat up to the point of plasma production when compressed adiabatically. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

• Energy-beams that are moderated in a gas volume are yet another method of supplying energy to a gas reservoir. An further benefit of neutral particle beams is that they are unaffected by magnetic and electric forces. In fusion devices, neutral beams are typically utilised for plasma heating or plasma maintenance. • By applying an electric field to a neutral gas, a low-temperature plasma is most frequently created and maintained for technological and technical applications. A small number of electrons and ions are always present in any volume of a neutral gas. These particles are created, for instance, when cosmic rays or radioactive radiation interact with the gas. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

BENEFITS OF COLD PLASMA OVER OTHER FOOD SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES • The disinfection of products with externally placed microorganisms is possible using cold plasma. In contrast to light (such as UV light decontamination), plasma travels around items, preventing "shadow effects" and guaranteeing that the entire product is cleaned. • There is currently no mild surface cleaning method available for things like chopped vegetables and fresh meat; cold plasma could be used instead. Surfaces could potentially be cleaned with cold plasma prior to packaging or as part of the packaging procedure. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

• Even with the added requirement for a carrier gas, plasma technologies' electronics and longevity are equivalent to UV-C systems in terms of energy consumption and cost-effectiveness for treating food. Atmospheric plasmas with high concentrations of bactericidal molecules (> 100 ppm ozone, nitric oxides, peroxides, etc.) are produced quickly and efficiently at room temperature, with little to no product heating. • A few hundred watts of electricity and a source of compressed air or another gas are needed for atmospheric plasma technology (APT); occasionally, a gas blend is utilised depending on the reactive gas species being created. With product temperature increases of less than 5 °C, APT can produce bactericidal molecules in situ extremely effectively using only air. The technology is expanding into new markets and applications as a result of its adaptability and distinctive processing capabilities. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

ADVANTAGES Novel, incredibly quick sterilization/preservation method (sterilization takes • only few minutes). The surface treatment method has no impact on the food's vitamins and • nutrients. Process runs at standard temperatures (ideal for thermo labile products). • Any kind of infection can be rendered inactive depending on the type of • plasma. Low operating costs (cost of natural gases and electricity). • Friendly to the environment (uses natural gases including nitrogen, argon, • air, hydrogen and oxygen). www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

COLD PLASMA TO KILL BACTERIA FOR RAW CHICKEN • Over 70% of the tested raw chicken meat contains pathogens including Salmonella and Campylobacter. A food safety team at Drexel University in Pennsylvania recently used high-energy, low-temperature plasma to kill undesirable microorganisms while essentially leaving the product unaltered. Fig: A plasma torch applied to uncooked chicken www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

MODIFICATION OF FOOD PACKAGING POLYMERS POLYETHYLENE [PE] One of the simplest polymers utilised in food packaging in terms of structure is • PE. Commercially available PE comes in a range of densities and is distinguished by various WVTR (water vapour transfer rate), GTR (gas transmission rate), tensile strength, heat sealing, and other qualities. This gives food producers the opportunity to select the best package form for • their products. However, the majority of cold plasma research has focused on PE surface changes • because to PE's low surface energy. It has been reported to characterise PE's surface using CO2, H2O, and CO2/H2O plasma. • www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

MODIFICATION OF FOOD PACKAGING POLYMERS Polyethylene terphthalate [PET] PET is a material of choice for food packaging because of its many advantageous • qualities, including good strength, stiffness, high strength-to-weight ratio, transparency, thermal stability, gas barrier property, chemical resistance, and formability. The reduced surface energy of PET, like other synthetic polymers, calls for • surface modification to achieve acceptable adhesion, printing, and dyeing qualities. The PET film's crystalline structure has a significant role in determining how the • surface energy changes after CP treatments. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and helium plasma surface characterisation studies • for plasma-treated PET film have been published. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

MODIFICATION OF FOOD PACKAGING POLYMERS Food Packaging Surface Sterilization • In many circumstances, the packaging process is a key critical control point in a • hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system, and the majority of regulatory rules include microbiological requirements for food packaging materials. Food packaging materials are designed to protect food from deterioration, damage, and outside contamination while maintaining food quality along the chain of distribution and storage. Using PET foil substrates and typical treatment periods of 5 s, Schneider et al. (2005) evaluated the scalability of a plasma array system (Duo-Plasmaline®) for industrial applications and compared the performance to a laboratory size system (Plasmodul®). The spore reduction kinetics for both systems point to the method's scalability. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

DISADVANTAGES There are certain drawbacks to plasma processing, including a rise in lipid oxidation, a • drop in colour, a loss of fruit firmness, and an increase in acidity, among others. The most significant issue is the walnuts' 20% increase in peroxide value at increased power and • treatment times. In the case of samples of peanuts treated with plasma, similar outcomes were seen. This may be because radicals can oxidise lipid molecules, which increased the peroxide value. After being exposed to atmospheric non equilibrium plasma for 5 minutes, the spinach leaves' • discoloration and wilting effects were noticed. Because the plasma effect is a surface phenomena, it is not viable to employ this technique to • inactivate endogenous enzymes that are present in whole fruits in their natural state. Another drawback of direct plasma application is that it makes fruits less solid. According to Kim et al., after 10 minutes of treatment, milk's pH decreased when plasma was • applied. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

References • https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343532073_Cold_Plasma_Emerging_As_the _New_Standard_in_Food_Safety • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22149075/#:~:text=Abstract,poultry%2C%20fruits%2C %20and%20vegetables. • https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11483-014-9382- z#:~:text=There%20are%20some%20limitations%20of,and%20increase%20in%20acidity %20etc. www.foodresearchlab.com |Info@foodresearchlab.com A Unit of Guires © 2023 |

food product development proposal