Nonthermal Plasma Technology for Food and Food Products

by R. Mahendran (Editor), Preeti Birwal (Editor), Megh R. Goyal (Editor)

Overview

Cold plasma technology in the food industry is increasingly being adopted for its effective decontamination of food from foodborne pathogens and for its ability for enhanced pest mitigation in stored products. This new volume explores the techniques and methods of processing food products without subjecting them to heat treatment, using the promising cutting-edge technology of cold plasma for food preservation and food safety. The book discusses the design and generation of cold plasma along with the interaction with food molecules and covers applications in agri-food systems such as in solid foods, liquid foods, and food packaging. It presents the effects of cold plasma on starch modification, food surface modification, and its influence on toxin reduction. It also reports on advances and research being conducted to deal with simulation, modeling, and emerging other combination technologies. A chapter also reports on adopting cold plasma for spaceflight-grown produce.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781774917701
Publisher:	Apple Academic Press
Publication date:	07/15/2025
Series:	Innovations in Agricultural & Biological Engineering
Pages:	578
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

R. Mahendran, PhD, is Professor and Head of the Centre of Excellence in Nonthermal Processing at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management–Thanjavur, India. Prior to this, he was a Production Officer in the Fermentation Department of Krebs Biochemicals and Industries Ltd., Andhra Pradesh, and a Scientist in the TIFAC/Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi. Dr. Mahendran has authored over 100 journal papers as well as popular articles and book chapters. A fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Institution of Engineers, he serves as editor, editorial board member, and reviewer for a number of food processing journals. He has been awarded the Dr. V. Subrahmanyan Best Scientist Award for 2021 for his outstanding research contributions.

Preeti Birwal, PhD, is a Scientist in the Department of Processing and Food Engineering at the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology at Punjab Agricultural University, India. She is working in nonthermal food preservation, fermented beverages, food packaging, and technology of millet-based beer. She served at Jain Deemed to be University, Bangalore, on the board of examiners and placements. She has participated at national and international conferences and seminars and has delivered lectures as a resource person on doubling farmers’ income through dairy technology in training sponsored by the directorate of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Dr. Birwal has published research papers, edited books, book chapters, popular articles, conference papers, abstracts, and editorial opinions.

Megh R. Goyal, PhD, PE, is a Retired Professor in Agricultural and Biomedical Engineering from the General Engineering Department in the College of Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez Campus. He was proclaimed as the “Father of Irrigation Engineering in Puerto Rico for the Twentieth Century” by the ASABE, Puerto Rico Section, for his pioneering work on micro irrigation, evapotranspiration, agroclimatology, and soil and water engineering. During his professional career of over 52 years, he has received many prestigious awards. A prolific author and editor, he has written more than 200 journal articles and several textbooks and has edited over 100 books. Dr. Goyal is Senior Technical Editor, Biomedical Engineering and Agricultural Science at Apple Academic Press, Inc.

Table of Contents

PART 1: BASICS OF COLD PLASMA TECHNOLOGY 1. Introduction and Principles of Cold Plasma Technology 2. Design and Generation of Cold Plasma 3. Interaction of Reactive Species with Food Molecules PART 2: INTERACTION OF COLD PLASMA WITH FOOD SYSTEMS AND ITS APPLICATIONS 4. Characterization Methods for Cold Plasma Technology 5. Effect of Cold Plasma on the Modification of Starch in Foods 6. Applications of Cold Plasma Technology in Solid Food Products 7. Effects of Cold Plasma on Liquid Foods 8. Emerging Cold Plasma Strategies to Prevent or Treat Mycotoxins in Foods PART 3: NON-FOOD APPLICATIONS OF COLD PLASMA TECHNOLOGY 9. Cold Plasma to Control Biofilms on Food and Food Products 10. Impact of Cold Plasma for Applications in Food Packaging PART 4: EMERGING TRENDS IN COLD PLASMA APPLICATIONS 11. Cold Plasma in Combination with Other Novel Technologies 12. Novel and Advanced Trends in Cold Plasma Technology for the Food Industry 13. Cold Plasma for Spaceflight-Grown Produce: Disinfection and Other Applications PART 5: RESEARCH CHALLENGES IN COLD PLASMA TECHNOLOGY 14. Computational Fluid Dynamics in Cold Plasma Processing: Basics, Scope, and Applications 15. Limitations and Toxicology of Plasma Treatment 16. Cold Plasma Technology: Future Avenues and Challenges