Recent advances in non-thermal decontamination technologies for microorganisms and mycotoxins in low-moisture foods

Background: Low-moisture foods (LMFs) are generally considered "lower risk" in terms of food safety, however, the frequent foodborne illnesses involved in the consumption of LMFs has heightened the public concern. The low a(w) environments also offer considerable protection against microorganisms. Meanwhile, the relatively high contamination risk of mycotoxins in low-moisture foods is a challenge for the food industry. Thermal decontamination techniques usually destroy heat-sensitive nutrients and lower product quality, and they are not adequate for mycotoxins detoxification. Therefore, developing non-thermal decontamination technologies to improve the safety of LMFs is of great interest in both of economics and public health. Scope and approach: This review discusses the effects of non-thermal decontamination technologies, including ultraviolet and pulsed light, ionizing irradiation, cold plasma, and ozone, on microbial population and mycotoxin contents on LMFs. Furthermore, the working principles, applications, factors affecting processing efficacy and limitations of these decontamination technologies are summarized. The further research opportunities in commercialization are identified and discussed. Key findings and conclusions: Non-thermal decontamination technologies like UV and pulsed light, ionizing irradiation, cold plasma, and ozone have high potential as promising technologies for microbial inactivation and mycotoxin degradation for improving the safety and quality of LMFs. The operating conditions of the treatment, food property, species of microorganisms and mycotoxins are the major determinants affecting the processing efficacy. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the degradant toxicology and its interaction with food components, and particularly scaling-up the technology for commercial applications should be given more attention.