Nonthermal Plasma Technology for Food and Food Products (Innovations in Agricultural & Biological Engineering)

Cold plasma technology in the food industry is increasingly being adopted for its effective decontamination of food from foodborne pathogens and for its ability for enhanced pest mitigation in stored products. This new volume explores the techniques and methods of processing food products without subjecting them to heat treatment, using the promising cutting-edge technology of cold plasma for food preservation and food safety. The book discusses the design and generation of cold plasma along with the interaction with food molecules and covers applications in agri-food systems such as in solid foods, liquid foods, and food packaging. It presents the effects of cold plasma on starch modification, food surface modification, and its influence on toxin reduction. It also reports on advances and research being conducted to deal with simulation, modeling, and emerging other combination technologies. A chapter also reports on adopting cold plasma for spaceflight-grown produce.

R. Mahendran, PhD, is Professor and Head of the Centre of Excellence in Nonthermal Processing at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management-Thanjavur, India. Prior to this, he was a Production Officer in the Fermentation Department of Krebs Biochemicals and Industries Ltd., Andhra Pradesh, and a Scientist in the TIFAC/Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi. Dr. Mahendran has authored over 100 journal papers as well as popular articles and book chapters. A fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Institution of Engineers, he serves as editor, editorial board member, and reviewer for a number of food processing journals. He has been awarded the Dr. V. Subrahmanyan Best Scientist Award for 2021 for his outstanding research contributions.

Preeti Birwal, PhD, is a Scientist in the Department of Processing and Food Engineering at the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology at Punjab Agricultural University, India. She is working in nonthermal food preservation, fermented beverages, food packaging, and technology of millet-based beer. She served at Jain Deemed to be University, Bangalore, on the board of examiners and placements. She has participated at national and international conferences and seminars and has delivered lectures as a resource person on doubling farmers' income through dairy technology in training sponsored by the directorate of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Dr. Birwal has published research papers, edited books, book chapters, popular articles, conference papers, abstracts, and editorial opinions.

Megh R. Goyal, PhD, PE, is a Retired Professor in Agricultural and Biomedical Engineering from the General Engineering Department in the College of Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus. He was proclaimed as the "Father of Irrigation Engineering in Puerto Rico for the Twentieth Century" by the ASABE, Puerto Rico Section, for his pioneering work on micro irrigation, evapotranspiration, agroclimatology, and soil and water engineering. During his professional career of over 52 years, he has received many prestigious awards. A prolific author and editor, he has written more than 200 journal articles and several textbooks and has edited over 100 books. Dr. Goyal is Senior Technical Editor, Biomedical Engineering and Agricultural Science at Apple Academic Press, Inc.