The kiwifruit processing industry is focused on product yield maximization and keeping energy costs and waste effluents to a minimum while maintaining high product quality. In our study, pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatment enhanced kiwifruit processing to facilitate peelability and specific peeling process and enhanced valorization of kiwifruit waste. PEF optimization was applied to obtain the best treatment parameters. A 3² factorial design of response surface methodology was applied to find the effect of time elapsed after PEF treatment and the PEF-specific energy input on specific peeling force and kiwifruit firmness as response criteria. Under the optimized condition, the specific peeling force decreased by 100, and peelability increased by 2 times. The phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of PEF-treated kiwifruit bagasse were 5.1 and 260 richer than the control sample. Overall, the optimized PEF pretreatments incorporated into kiwifruit processing led to decreased energy demand and increased productivity.

The tomato processing industry is focused on product yield maximization, keeping energy costs and waste effluents to a minimum while maintaining high product quality. In our study, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) pretreatment enhanced tomato processing to facilitate peelability, a specific peeling process, and enhance peel drying. Peeling force analysis determined that CAP pretreatment of whole tomatoes improved peelability under the conditions used. The specific peeling force after CAP treatment decreased by more than three times. It was observed that cold atmospheric plasma pretreatment reduced the duration of infrared drying of tomato peels by 18.2%. Along with that, a positive effect on the reduction of the specific energy consumption of peel drying was shown for CAP-pretreated tomato peels. The obtained data show that the technology of cold atmospheric plasma pretreatment, in particular, when processing whole tomatoes and tomato peels, has a promising application in industry, as it can significantly reduce the specific energy consumption for peeling and drying procedures.

High-pressure processing (HPP) is a novel technology that is used in many food processing operations to increase both the efficiency and a reduction in the energy and time required to modify and improve the physical and chemical properties of traditional food products. The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of applying three treatments of a high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and a control, i.e., 0, 100, 300 and 600 MPa, on the water absorption, gelatinization properties, and microstructural changes of wheat grains. The results indicated that the HHP treatments with a pressure of 300 and 600 MPa resulted in an increase of 16.7–24.8% in the mass of the grains; however, the pressure of 600 MPa did not result in a mass increase through water uptake. Further, the transition enthalpy increased with the HHP pressure, with 600 MPa defined as the threshold value for pressure. The results from this study demonstrated that a HHP treatment may enhance the soaking process of wheat grains and, thus, positively affect their gelatinization properties. These preliminary results may be used to improve the processing efficiency and quality of wheat-based products.

By exploiting the physical effect of the electron emission from a thermionic source in combination with a magnetically controlled Fe–Al dynamic platform to assist electrical discharge, we generated atmospheric microplasma (AM). The electrical characteristics of microplasma discharge-induced cold atmospheric plasma in combination with a magnetically controlled Fe–Al dynamic platform in open air were evaluated. The surface analysis of organic wheat seeds was investigated at two steps: (1) the coating effect of an Al nanoparticle with an electrons drift toward the seed surface along the direction of an electric field and (2) inelastic collision with secondary electrons moving from the cathode in the presence of an electric field. Using SEM microscopy analysis, it was found that plasma affects seed surface topography and apparent contact angle (ACA). The effect of atmospheric microplasma treatment leads to seed surface modification by the manifestation of fine mesh structures on the seed surface. Well-established AM technology will garner interest in agriculture and biomaterials coatings applications.

The use of preparatory electrophysical methods of influencing food raw materials is one of the main trends in the development of innovative processes and technologies in the food and processing industry. Based on the physical effect of electron emission from a thermal emission source, a cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) was obtained, which was successfully applied to the grain material. Physical characteristics and evolution of low-temperature atmospheric plasma were considered as the main methods of analysis of electrophysical effects. To assess the effect of low-temperature plasma on grain material, measurements of water absorption capacity and analysis of surface modification by electron scanning microscopy were carried out. It has been experimentally established that CAP treatment contributes to a more intensive process of water absorption due to changes in the surface structure of the grain material. The total duration of the process of water absorption of grain material after processing of CAP decreased by more than three times until the equilibrium moisture content was reached. Scanning electron microscopy has shown that the processing of CAP leads to the appearance of a fine-mesh structure of the surface of the grain material. The effect of CAP treatment leads to modification of the seed surface, which consists in the manifestation of a fine-meshed structure on the surface of the seeds. Taking into account the advantages of CAP technology, namely the absence of the need for vacuuming and short processing time, the technology has a high practical potential.

The food industry and agriculture use such electrophysical technologies as ozonation, pulsed electric field, and low-temperature plasma. They increase the shelf-life of food products, as well as help to advance food processing. This article features pretreatment with a low-voltage spark-discharge plasma channel as a means to increase the efficiency of grain drying. The grain material involved three samples of soft wheat seeds. Sample 1 was subjected to direct contact with the electrodes while sample 2 underwent treatment on a dielectric substrate. The control remained untreated. The kinetics of grain-drying in the open air was studied using a thermal agent at 110°C after pre-treatment with a low-voltage spark-discharge plasma channel. This experiment also involved scanning electron microscopy tools to detect changes in surface structure. The electron microscopy showed that the dielectric substrate accelerated moisture removal, probably as a result of the emerging surface effects that developed a new continuum in the grain structure. This treatment made it possible to reduce the drying time by 15–25%, compared to the control sample. The drying rate curves demonstrated acceleration in the initial period, associated with additional electroosmotic forces and changes in the absorption properties. The samples treated with low-voltage spark-discharge plasma channel showed a 20% reduction in total energy consumption. Electrophysical technology based on a low-voltage spark-discharge plasma channel proved to be an effective pre-drying procedure. Further research is needed to scale the technology in a flow mode and to identify its effect on shelf-life.