Cold Plasma as an Emerging Technique for Mycotoxin-Free Food: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Trends

The production of mycotoxin-free food is challenging the food industry due to the difficulties in contamination prevention and the inefficiencies of traditional mycotoxin removal strategies. Recently, cold plasma has been proposed as an efficient nonthermal technique for the degradation of mycotoxins and inactivation of mycotoxin-producing fungi. The current study presents an overview of the recent findings on the efficacy of cold plasma for mycotoxin reduction in food, followed by discussions on the mechanisms involved, benefits and drawbacks of this approach, discussion on its potential industrial adoption and the required research in the area. The growing literature reveals that cold plasma is an effective tool for the degradation of mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, enniatins, zearalenone, and fumonisin, and inactivation of mycotoxin-producing fungi, including Aspergillus, Alternaria, Penicillium, and Fusarium, in many food commodities (e.g., cereals and dairy products). However, the industrial application of cold plasma to produce mycotoxin-free products requires further process optimization and understanding of its effects on food components. In addition to economic evaluation, challenges of scale-up need to be addressed for industrial adaptation of this emerging technology.Abbreviations: AAL: Aternaria alternata f. sp. lycopersici; AFs: Aflatoxins; CG: Carrier gas; D3G: Deoxynivalenol-3-β-d-glucoside; DBD: Dielectric Barrier Discharge; DON: Deoxynivalenol; ENNs: Enniatins; F: Frequency; Fu: Fumonisin; HVACP: High-voltage atmospheric cold plasma; I: Intermediate product; kpps: kilo pulse per second; MW: Molecular weight; NIV: Nivalenol; OTA: Ochratoxin A; P: Product; PAW: Plasma-activated water; PP: Plasma power; RH: Relative humidity; T2: Trichothecene mycotoxin; TBARS: Thiobarbituric acid reactive species; TT: Treatment time; UV: Ultraviolet; V: Voltage; ZEN: Zearalenone.