Cold plasma treatment for E. coli inactivation and characterization for fresh food safety
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Cold plasma is an emerging non-thermal pathogen inactivation and surface modification technology, which is chemical free, ecofriendly, and convenient. The presenting study was to investigate the effectiveness of reactive species generated in cold plasma treated water (CPTW) for inactivating microbes through oxidative stress. The physical properties of CPTW created by electric discharges of O2/N2 were characterized. The potential of CPTW for fresh food applications was evaluated. The research results revealed that the pH values of CPTW significantly decreased from pH 7.4 to 3.4 and electrical conductivity of CPTW increased from 78 to 162 mS/cm when treatment time increased from 10 to 240 s at the discharge frequency of 2000 Hz. It’s demonstrated that the CPTW was able to significantly deactivate E. coli in water. The substantial reduction in E. coli cells increased from 1.6 to 8 log at a frequency of 2000 Hz when the treatment times changed from 10 to 240 s. It’s also verified that the CPTW significantly reduced bacterial load and preserved the strawberry’s shelf-life for up to 30 days without compromising its quality compared to untreated control sample. This information is useful for the design of effective cold plasma processes in food engineering applications. Further research is necessary to explore the full potential of cold plasma technology in enhancing food safety and quality in the future.
Language: English
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,890
OpenAlex ID: W4402340931