Cold-chain transportation is one of the key pathways for long-distance cross-border transmission of pathogenic microorganisms. Traditional high-temperature disinfection techniques are unsuitable for cold-chain environments. Non-thermal disinfection technologies such as ultraviolet irradiation

ultrasound

and chemical reagents suffer from low efficiency

limited adaptability

narrow antimicrobial spectra

and residual harmful substances

making it difficult to fully meet application requirements. Therefore

there is an urgent need to develop novel

safe

and efficient cold-chain disinfection technologies to protect public health. In recent years

plasma has shown broad application prospects in the field of cold-chain disinfection. Numerous studies have shown that the reactive species generated by plasma can diffuse widely throughout enclosed cold-chain spaces

providing broad-spectrum

highly efficient

safe

and stable inactivation of various pathogens. This paper summarizes the current research status of plasma cold-chain disinfection technology from three aspects

namely

plasma discharge types and application forms for cold-chain disinfection

plasma disinfection effects

and plasma disinfection mechanisms. This paper further analyzes current scientific and technical challenges and envisions future development directions

with the goal of offering valuable references for advancing related theoretical and applied research.