Mechanistic insights into sonication-assisted cold plasma treatments for improved microbial decontamination and quality maintenance in perishable foods

Food preservation technologies are advancing towards the production of safe, minimally processed, and nutritious food products. Cold plasma (CP) is an emerging non-thermal technology that has received considerable attention for its potential application in decontaminating food from pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms with minimal damage to quality. Sonication, another acoustic cavitation-based technique, also provides similar synergistic advantages, such as mass transfer enhancement and disintegration of microbial membranes with enhanced exposure to reactive species. Sonication-assisted cold plasma (SACP), a combination of sonication and cold plasma, is a promising advancement in the preservation of food by enhancing the effects of microbial inactivation and shelf-life extension at lower energy input and treatment time. As well as its application for enzyme inactivation, bioactive retention, and packaging decontamination, the literature that is now accessible provides support for its potential use in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and liquid foods. This review evaluates the fundamental concepts of sonication-assisted plasma activity. Additionally, the comparative advantages of this technology in comparison to stand-alone technologies are discussed, and the practical uses of this technology in food processing are highlighted.