Abstract
In addition to being key pathogens in plants, animals, and humans, fungi are also valuable resources in agriculture, food, medicine, industry, and the environment. The elimination of pathogenic fungi and the functional enhancement of beneficial fungi have been the major topics investigated by researchers. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a potential tool to inactivate pathogenic and food-spoiling fungi and functionally enhance beneficial fungi. In this review, we summarize and discuss research performed over the last decade on the use of NTP to treat both harmful and beneficial yeast- and filamentous-type fungi. NTP can efficiently inactivate fungal spores and eliminate fungal contaminants from seeds, fresh agricultural produce, food, and human skin. Studies have also demonstrated that NTP can improve the production of valuable enzymes and metabolites in fungi. Further studies are still needed to establish NTP as a method that can be used as an alternative to the conventional methods of fungal inactivation and activation.
Highlights
Fungi are the second-most abundant group of organisms after insects [1] and they play a significant role in agriculture, biomedicine, global health, and industry [2]
We found that singlet oxygen (1 O2 ) among reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in Non-thermal plasma (NTP)-treated water contributed the most to yeast inactivation [66]
Many studies have suggested that short- and long-lived reactive species generated by NTP are the main factors that regulate the inactivation and activation of microorganisms, including fungi [18,20,156]
Summary
Fungi are the second-most abundant group of organisms after insects [1] and they play a significant role in agriculture, biomedicine, global health, and industry [2]. Over the last 100 years, the number of pathogenic fungi infecting plants, animals, and humans has increased [4]. Fungal pathogens cause some of the most lethal infectious diseases in humans and animals and fungal infections are responsible for the death of approximately 1.6 million people annually [5]. Biological enzymes (or biocatalysts), those derived from microorganisms, have become essential for the rapidly growing biotechnology industry. As fungi exert both beneficial and harmful effects, it would help to functionally enhance beneficial fungi, while inactivating harmful fungi. Recent studies have shown that NTP can improve the production of valuable fungal constituents, such as enzymes, by beneficial fungi [18,19,20]. We compile and describe use of NTP to control the growth of harmful fungi, while functionally enhancing beneficial fungi by focusing on research published since 2010
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