One of the most varied species of lactic acid bacteria is Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (Lb. plantarum), formerly known as Lactobacillus plantarum. It is one of the most common species of bacteria found in foods, probiotics, dairy products, and beverages. Studies related to genomic mapping and gene locations of Lb. plantarum have shown the novel findings of its new strains along with their non-pathogenic or non-antibiotic resistance genes. Safe strains obtained with new technologies are a pioneer in the development of new probiotics and starter cultures for the food industry. However, the safety of Lb. plantarum strains and their bacteriocins should also be confirmed with in vivo studies before being employed as food additives. Many of the Lb. plantarum strains and their bacteriocins are generally safe in terms of antibiotic resistance genes. Thus, they provide a great opportunity for improving the nutritional composition, shelf life, antioxidant activity, flavour properties and antimicrobial activities in the food industry. Moreover, since some Lb. plantarum strains have the ability to reduce undesirable compounds such as aflatoxins, they have potential use in maintaining food safety and preventing food spoilage. This review emphasizes the impacts of Lb. plantarum strains on fermented foods, along with novel approaches to their genomic mapping and safety aspects.
Elimination of microbiological contamination of food products is predominant for consumer food safety. Cold plasma (CP) technology has evolved as a unique, cost‐effective, and environmentally friendly solution to microbial decontamination that is gaining popularity due to its great efficacy in ensuring food safety. As increasing the demand of food industries to produce and supply the safe food with minimal processing. Cold plasma application is being used to sanitize the food surface to be used for different food industry sectors for microbial inactivation. The rapid microbial inactivation obtained by cold plasma has sparked a surge in interest in the field. The current review will give a critical snapshot of the potential application of cold plasma in microbial safety, including food safety, quality, and enzyme inactivation. The rapid microbiological inactivation achieved with cold plasma has led to an interest in this subject. Further, factors affecting, that is, food composition, PH, water activity, and microorganism type for microbial inactivation by cold plasma, are summarized and discussed. There is an increasing demand for food industries to produce and supply safe food with minimal processing. Cold plasma has the potential to sanitize the food surface to be used in different food industry sectors for microbial inactivation.Novelty impact statement: This review discussed the principle, equipment, and process mechanism of cold plasma. The mechanism of microbial inactivation by cold plasma was summarized. Also, the effect of cold plasma on factors including food composition, pH, water activity, microorganism type, and enzyme inactivation was explored.