Advances in Cold Plasma Applications for Food Safety and Preservation

Cold plasma is one of the newest technologies tested for food preservation. In the last decade, this novel approach has shown promising results as a disinfectant of food products and packaging materials. Cold plasma is also affordable, waterless, waste-free, and leaves no chemical residue on the product. This exciting new technology is covered thoroughly in Advances in Cold Plasma Applications for Food Preservation.The book presents the basic principles of cold plasma, examples of food products disinfected by cold plasma, and the challenges of using cold plasma to maximize microbial and spore inactivation. Some chapters are devoted to specific applications of the technology, such as the use of cold plasma for space missions. Insights about the required regulations for this technology are also discussed.Written and edited by experts in the field, Advances in Cold Plasma Applications for Food Preservation is aimed at academic researchers, food scientists, and government officials working on disinfection of food products.

Daniela Bermudez-Aguirre has a background in Food Engineering (BSc), Food Science (MSc), and Engineering Science, with a focus on Food Engineering (PhD). During her graduate and post-doctorate work at Washington State University (WSU), she was involved in the development of nonthermal technologies for food processing and preservation, such as high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, ultraviolet, cold plasma, and ozone. Her research at WSU also included projects funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) to improve the quality of military rations without compromising the food safety using innovative thermal processing. Afterwards, she worked as a senior research scientist for Lockheed Martin, a contractor of NASA. At NASA Johnson Space Center, she was the principal investigator of a project that used cold plasma to disinfect vegetables grown and consumed in-orbit by astronauts. In the last few years, she has been a consultant to industry and research centers about the use and applications of cold plasma equipment. She is the author of more than 60 peer-review publications, editor of 3 books in Food Engineering, and reviewer of over 50 high-impact journals in food science and technology. She has more than 20 years of experience working on nonthermal technologies for food safety and product development.