Computational cold plasma dynamics and its potential application in food processing

Abstract Cold plasma is a novel nonthermal technology that has been used for preserving and maintaining the quality of food materials. Researchers developed numerous cold plasma equipment to study the effect of plasma on food materials; however, the degree of processing such as flow of plasma species from the source of plasma to the food material and their interaction/diffusion into the food, differs with respect to the equipment. The computational study can simulate the flow dynamics of plasma which in turn can improve the efficiency of processing and design aspects. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is the most reliable, cost-effective, and robust numerical tool used for simulating various high-end food processing technologies. In cold plasma processing, computational study aids in revealing the distribution of reactive species and their flow dynamics on the target surface. As CFD studies on plasma interaction with food materials are not available, this review is focused on covering the basics of using CFD in cold plasma simulation. It also explores the significant use of CFD in cold plasma simulation in various sectors along with its possible and futuristic applications in food processing.