Application of Cold Plasma in Food Packaging

Cold plasma is a novel green technology and refers to an ionized gas in which a small fraction of its atoms lose one or more electrons and contains many active species such as electrons, ions, free radicals, excited states, and a large number of ionized neutral molecules. This technology is produced at low pressures and powers, and the type of gas and the method used to produce plasma determine the nature and quantity of the active species. In recent years, the use of cold plasma for reasons such as not having a negative effect on heat-sensitive materials, improving the moisture properties, increasing the surface activity, printing and coloring potential are considered by researchers in the packaging industry.Accumulation of petroleum-based plastics, which are mainly used in food packaging, is a serious environmental problem today; As a result, researchers' efforts to develop biodegradable films and coatings have increased but these materials, like polymers, do not have the surface properties required in some applications. Cold plasma can modify biopolymers and polymers by methods such as crosslinking, DE polymerization, and plasma etching. This paper investigates the applications of cold plasma in surface modification of polymers and biopolymers.