Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most widely contaminated mycotoxins. Dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma (DBD-CP) holds great potential in mycotoxin degradation. This study aimed to investigate the impact of DBD-CP on OTA degradation, assess the cytotoxicity of its degradation products, and evaluate its influence on wheat quality. Under the optimized DBD-CP conditions, a significant OTA degradation of 94.2 % was achieved within a short treatment time. Five major OTA degradation products were produced after DBD-CP treatment through various reaction pathways, including hydroxylation/dehydroxylation, demethylation, dechlorination, esterification, decarboxylation, and lactone opening, namely C