The Application Prospect of Cold Sterilization and Preservation Technology of Food is Promising

In recent years, the prefabricated vegetable fresh-keeping packaging products such as fresh meat, fresh cut fruits and vegetables and prepared food are developing rapidly in our country. But the problem of the short fresh-keeping cycle of product shelf and secondary pollution have become the bottleneck of technology restricting the development of industry. Therefore, research and development of fresh agricultural products and prepared food efficient cold sterilization fresh-keeping packaging technology has become the focus of industry.

Food cold sterilization preservation packaging technology is one of the development directions of international food science and technology. High voltage electric field low temperature Plasma Cold Sterilization (CPCS) is a new food Cold sterilization technology currently applied internationally. It mainly uses low temperature plasma such as photoelectrons, ions and active free groups generated by the media around food to contact the surface of microorganisms. Causing the destruction of its cells to achieve bactericidal effect. Compared with the widely used hot sterilization technology, the high voltage electric field and low temperature plasma cold sterilization and preservation packaging technology is an important breakthrough in the field of food cold sterilization and preservation packaging technology research and development. This technology can be combined with the MAP technology to sterilize the packaged products by low temperature plasma, which will not produce secondary pollution. The plasma that produces bactericidal action comes from the gas inside the package, does not produce chemical residue, high safety; The voltage is high, but the current is small, the sterilization time is short, the heat is not generated, and the energy consumption is low, the operation is simple, therefore, the low temperature plasma sterilization technology is suitable for the sterilization of heat sensitive fresh prepared food.

Under the support of “Research and development and demonstration of key technology equipment of low-temperature plasma cold-sterilization packaging for high pressure electric field”, domestic research institutes jointly develop complete equipment of low-temperature plasma cold-sterilization core technology equipment, MAP fresh-keeping package-low-temperature plasma cold-sterilization automation production line and so on, which breaks the technical bottleneck of food cold-sterilization in our country. On November 28, 2021, China Animal Products Processing Research Association organized experts to evaluate the scientific and technological achievements of the project “Key technologies and equipment of cold plasma sterilization and preservation and cold chain logistics sterilization”. Experts at the meeting agreed that the results overall reached the international advanced level, including high pressure electric field low temperature plasma cold sterilization core technology equipment has reached the international leading level, broad prospects for application development, will help solve the international fresh preparation food, central kitchen industry cold sterilization fresh-keeping and cold chain logistics related key technology equipment bottlenecks, market space.

The main technical points of the project include: low temperature plasma cold sterilization — short sterilization time, low energy consumption, suitable for large-scale development of cold sterilization of fresh and prepared food; The core technology and equipment of low temperature plasma cold sterilization and automatic production line can eliminate foodborne pathogens, and the degradation of pesticide residues on the surface of fruits and vegetables can reach more than 60%, effectively extending the shelf life and freshness life; Food cold chain logistics and special air disinfection technology equipment for animal feeding — special air disinfection technology equipment for animal feeding can be matched with the modern farm air conditioning system to effectively solve chemical residues and other problems.

In terms of application effect, CPCS in cold sterilization test of lettuce significantly increased the bactericidal rate, effectively extended shelf freshness period, and can effectively degrade organophosphorus pesticide residues in lettuce, strawberry, cherry, kiwi and other fruits also have good cold sterilization preservation effect and pesticide residue degradation efficiency. At the same time, the cold sterilization and preservation experiments on fresh food, Sichuan pickles, Ningbo rice cake, etc., have achieved initial results.