Abstract: As an emerging non-thermal processing technology, cold plasma has become a research hot spot. This technology has the advantages of safety, mildness, simple operation and low cost, making it promising for wide applications in the field of non-thermal food processing. Cold plasma can produce ozone, singlet oxygen, superoxide anion free radicals, hydroxyl radicals, nitrogen oxides and other reactive species in the excitation process and has a distinctive effect on microbial inhibition and nitrite production in meat and meat products. This paper summarizes different ways to produce cold plasma and analyzes the factors affecting its working efficiency. Furthermore, this paper also reviews recent progress in the application of cold plasma as a bacteriostatic agent and substitute for sodium nitrite in the preservation and processing of meat products. The effect of cold plasma on lipid oxidation in meat is discussed, and future prospects for its application are proposed as well. This article provides a theoretical basis for promoting the application of cold plasma technology in meat product processing.

Key words: cold plasma, meat, reactive species, microbial growth, nitrite