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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Characterization and Interventions for Foodborne Pathogens » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #404592
Research Project: Validation and Commercialization of Innovative Processing Technologies

Location: Characterization and Interventions for Foodborne Pathogens

Title: A review on plasma-activated water and its application in the meat industry

Author
item HADINOTO, KOENTADI - University Of New South Wales
item Niemira, Brendan
item TRUJILLO, FRANCISCO - University Of New South Wales

Submitted to: Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2023
Publication Date: 10/6/2023
Citation: Hadinoto, K., Niemira, B.A., Trujillo, F.J. 2023. A review on plasma-activated water and its application in the meat industry. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 22(6):4993-5019. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.13250.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.13250

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Meat is a nutritious food with a short shelf life, making it challenging to ensure safety, quality, and nutritional value. Foodborne pathogens and oxidation are the main concerns that lead to health risks and economic losses. Conventional approaches like hot water, steam pasteurization and chemical washes for meat decontamination improve safety but cause nutritional and quality issues. Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a new alternative to thermal treatment that can reduce oxidation and microbial growth, an essential factor in ensuring safety, quality and nutritional value while meeting the increasing global demand for meats and meat products. This review explores the different types of PAW and their physiochemical properties. Included is an outline of the reaction pathways involved in the generation of short-lived and long-lived reactive nitrogen and oxygen species (RONS) in PAW, which contribute to its antimicrobial abilities. The review also highlights current studies on PAW inactivation against various planktonic bacteria, as well as critical processing parameters that can improve PAW inactivation efficacy. Promising applications of PAW for meat curing, thawing, and decontamination are discussed, with emphasis on the need to understand how RONS in PAW affect meat quality. Recent reports on combining ultrasound, mild heating, and non-thermal plasma with PAW to improve inactivation efficacy are also presented. Finally, the need to develop energy-efficient systems for the production and scalability of PAW is discussed for its use as a meat disinfectant without compromising meat quality.