Feasibility of cold plasma for the control of biofilms in food industry

• Published in: Trends in food science & technology Vol. 99; pp. 142 - 151
• Main Authors: Zhu, Yulin, Li, Changzhu, Cui, Haiying, Lin, Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Antiinfectives and antibacterials; bacteria; biofilm; Biofilms; Cold; Cold plasma; Cold plasmas; Cold treatment; Etching; Food; Food industry; Food preservation; Food processing industry; Food safety; foods; Gas composition; Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Microorganisms; nonthermal processing; Organoleptic properties; Oxidation; plankton; Plasma; Process parameters; protective effect; Quorum sensing; sensory properties; Food preservation; Quorum sensing; Cold plasma; Biofilms
• ISSN: 0924-2244; 1879-3053
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2020.03.001

The increasingly grim situation caused by biofilms infection has undoubtedly become the challenge in the area of food safety. Due to the protective effect of the biofilm architecture, the microorganisms embedded within the biofilms show increased resistance to antibacterial treatment compared with those in planktonic state. In order to effectively remove biofilms from the surfaces of food and food-contacted materials, cold plasma, as a novel non-thermal processing technology, is adopted in food industry. The effective biofilms elimination by cold plasma treatment has resulted in a boost of concerns in this subject. This review gives readers a comprehensive summary about the anti-biofilms application of cold plasma in food industry. Specifically, the possible mechanisms, which are responsible for the biofilms control of cold plasma technology, were discussed. In addition, the factors may affect the efficiency of cold plasma against biofilms are emphatically investigated, along with the final evaluation of cold plasma as a novel anti-biofilms method. Increasing numbers of studies prove the excellent anti-biofilms activity of cold plasma technology. The reactive species, etching effect and control of quorum sensing are involved into the mechanisms responsible for anti-biofilms activity of cold plasma, which can be affected by a series of factors including gas composition, attachment surface, processing parameters, type of bacteria, biofilms thickness etc. In the process of eliminating biofilms, cold plasma can exert minimum impact on the organoleptic properties of food products, while lipid oxidation is detected which needs special attentions. •The biofilms showed increased resistance against traditional sterilization technology.•Cold plasma was an effective method for the control of biofilms.•The possible mechanism of the action of cold plasma on biofilms was discussed.•The factors influencing the anti-biofilms efficiency of cold plasma were summarized.