Recent progress in the application of plasma-activated water (PAW) for food decontamination

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a novel and promising alternative to traditional food sanitizers. Recently, the inactivation efficacy of PAW has been demonstrated on a wide range of food products against foodborne pathogens, spoilage microorganisms, and harmful chemicals. The effectiveness of PAW relies on various factors related to the plasma generation mechanisms, the target microorganisms, and the food matrix. The inactivation mechanisms of PAW are attributed to the damage of cell integrity and intracellular components by various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Utilization of plasma-activated liquids and hurdle technologies can enhance the inactivation efficacy and diverse the application of this technology. Scaling-up of PAW is still at the very beginning stage and needs further studies before industrial application.