RESUMEN
In a circular economy, products, waste, and resources are kept in the system as long as possible. This review aims to highlight the importance of cold plasma technology as an alternative solution to some challenges in the food chain, such as the extensive energy demand and the hazardous chemicals used. Atmospheric cold plasma can provide a rich source of reactive gas species such as radicals, excited neutrals, ions, free electrons, and UV light that can be efficiently used for sterilization and decontamination, degrading toxins, and pesticides. Atmospheric cold plasma can also improve the utilization of materials in agriculture and food processing, as well as convert waste into resources. The use of atmospheric cold plasma technology is not without challenges. The wide range of reactive gas species leads to many questions about their safety, active life, and environmental impact. Additionally, the associated regulatory approval process requires significant data demonstrating its efficacy. Cold plasma generation requires a specific reliable system, process control monitoring, scalability, and worker safety protections.
RESUMEN
Use of fungicides is a common practice as a postharvest treatment to control fruit decay. Nowadays, environment friendly technologies, such as heat treatments, are viable replacements. This study evaluated the effects of post-harvest heat treatments (traditional and microwave-assisted) on mandarins intentionally inoculated with Penicillium digitatum. For the studied heat treatments, the target temperature was 50 °C, which was held for 2.5 min. After heating, mandarins were cooled and stored at 25 °C for 13 days. MW treatments effectively prevented mold growth during storage, while HW only delayed it. Control mandarins (without treatment) showed the highest significant weight loss. Neither thermal treatment nor storage affected fruit juice pH (p > 0.05). Treated mandarins had a significantly lower vitamin C content than control fruits throughout storage, and all mandarins lost firmness by the 13th day (p < 0.05). Control and MW-treated mandarins had lower citric acid content; however, they retained color, total soluble solids (TSS) and had a higher maturity index. While HW mandarins did not have changes in citric acid content, they had higher TSS, and lower maturity index. MW-assisted treatments were effective at inactivating molds and helped retain some nutritional and physical-chemical characteristics of mandarins. However, juice of MW-treated mandarins was not preferred by judges in the sensory tests, the juice was rated lower than that obtained from the other treatment. Postharvest heat treatments may constitute a helpful application to control mandarin' fungal decay.