Recent advances in plasma-activated liquids (PALs) for food safety

Plasma technology has emerged as a promising non-thermal approach for food decontamination. Through plasma-liquid interactions, the chemical reactivity and energy generated in the plasma phase can be transferred into liquids, leading to the formation of plasma-activated liquids (PALs) enriched with diverse reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and therefore showing considerable potential as alternative disinfectants in the food industry. While plasma-activated water (PAW) has been extensively investigated over the past decade, increasing attention has recently been directed toward other plasma-activated solutions, such as organic acid solutions, saline-containing liquids, ethanol, and hydrogen peroxide-based systems, to further improve antimicrobial performance and broaden practical applicability. In this review, we summarize recent advances in PALs for food decontamination, with particular emphasis on generation configurations, physicochemical properties, and the mechanisms underlying microbial inactivation. Their applications in food decontamination and preservation are also discussed, together with their impacts on food quality attributes. In addition, the current challenges and future perspectives for the practical application of PALs are briefly discussed.