Cold Atmospheric Plasma and Plasma-Activated Water in Meat Processing: Microbial Safety, Molecular Transformations, Quality Changes, and Analytical Assessment
- 1Department of Agricultural Processing and Commodity Science, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, Faculty of Technology and Life Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
- 2Department of Thermal Technology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 31, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
Abstract
This review describes the principles of cold plasma generation and critically evaluates the effects of cold atmospheric plasma (ACP) and plasma-activated water (PAW) on the microbial safety, physicochemical quality, and preservation of meat products, with emphasis on analytical methods used to characterize plasma-induced changes. Peer-reviewed English-language publications from 2016 to 2026 were reviewed using the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases, with searches performed from January to June 2026. A total of 240 references supported the review. In one study conducted under comparable experimental conditions, in-package plasma treatment of diced poultry meat reduced Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7 by 3.5–3.9 log CFU/cube. This study-specific range should not be generalized because antimicrobial efficacy depends on plasma-system configuration, processing conditions, target microorganism, and meat matrix. However, plasma treatment may also cause undesirable oxidative changes. In ready-to-eat ham, the TBARS value increased from 0.92 to 1.53 mg MDA/kg after treatment, indicating enhanced lipid oxidation and potential quality deterioration. ACP and PAW may improve microbial safety and extend shelf life, but treatment intensity must be carefully controlled to minimize adverse quality effects. Future research should prioritize standardized reporting, product-specific validation, toxicological assessment, industrial scale-up, regulatory compliance, and techno-economic evaluation.
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BibTeX
@article{gil2026cold,
title = {{Cold Atmospheric Plasma and Plasma-Activated Water in Meat Processing: Microbial Safety, Molecular Transformations, Quality Changes, and Analytical Assessment}},
author = {Marian Gil and Mariusz Rudy and Paulina Duma-Kocan and Renata Stanisławczyk and Dariusz Dziki},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31203697},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/20/3697},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Cold Atmospheric Plasma and Plasma-Activated Water in Meat Processing: Microbial Safety, Molecular Transformations, Quality Changes, and Analytical Assessment
AU - Marian Gil
AU - Mariusz Rudy
AU - Paulina Duma-Kocan
AU - Renata Stanisławczyk
AU - Dariusz Dziki
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31203697
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/20/3697
AB - This review describes the principles of cold plasma generation and critically evaluates the effects of cold atmospheric plasma (ACP) and plasma-activated water (PAW) on the microbial safety, physicochemical quality, and preservation of meat products, with emphasis on analytical methods used to characterize plasma-induced changes. Peer-reviewed English-language publications from 2016 to 2026 were reviewed using the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases, with searches performed from January to June 2026. A total of 240 references supported the review. In one study conducted under comparable experimental conditions, in-package plasma treatment of diced poultry meat reduced Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7 by 3.5–3.9 log CFU/cube. This study-specific range should not be generalized because antimicrobial efficacy depends on plasma-system configuration, processing conditions, target microorganism, and meat matrix. However, plasma treatment may also cause undesirable oxidative changes. In ready-to-eat ham, the TBARS value increased from 0.92 to 1.53 mg MDA/kg after treatment, indicating enhanced lipid oxidation and potential quality deterioration. ACP and PAW may improve microbial safety and extend shelf life, but treatment intensity must be carefully controlled to minimize adverse quality effects. Future research should prioritize standardized reporting, product-specific validation, toxicological assessment, industrial scale-up, regulatory compliance, and techno-economic evaluation.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -