Application of cold plasma technology in animal-derived foods: a review spanning 2019–2025

Animal-derived foods, including meat, aquatic products, dairy products, and eggs, constitute an important source of nutrition for humans. Traditional processing methods for animal-derived foods predominantly rely on thermal treatments; however, such approaches can lead to losses in nutritional components, texture, and flavour. Cold plasma technology, an emerging non-thermal processing technique, enables the treatment of animal-derived foods at low temperatures. This method effectively mitigates heat-sensitive losses of nutrients and textural properties while ensuring food safety. Consequently, it has garnered significant research interest in recent years regarding the processing and utilisation of animal-derived foods. This paper systematically reviews the research progress in applying cold plasma technology to animal-derived foods. The primary generation modes and operational mechanisms of cold plasma are initially reviewed. Subsequently, its characteristic effects within animal-derived food matrices—specifically microbial inactivation, textural modification, and alterations in nutritional components—are outlined. Finally, the limitations of current cold plasma technologies and potential future research directions are summarised. This review aims to provide a scientific reference for applying cold plasma technology to quality control and functional enhancement in the production and processing of animal-derived foods, whilst offering theoretical support for advancing its standardisation and industrial implementation.