Influences of cold atmospheric plasma on microbial safety, physicochemical and sensorial qualities of meat products

Meat and meat products can be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, which cause serious health problems and economic loss. Recently, numerous novel non-thermal technologies have been developed to respond to growing consumer demand for high quality and safe meat products. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel and emerging non-thermal technology, showing great potential for applications in the food industry. This review presents recent advances on the developments and applications of CAP in meat products, including generation and microbial inactivation effects of CAP as well as its influences on physicochemical qualities and sensory attributes of meat products. Furthermore, the safety assessment of CAP-treated meat products and challenges in industrial application of CAP are also discussed.