Work

Monitoring and Diagnostics of Non-Thermal Plasmas in the Food Sector Using Optical Emission Spectroscopy

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Non-thermal plasma technology is used in the food sector due to its many advantages such as low operating costs, fast and efficient processing at low temperatures, minimal environmental impact, and preservation of sensory and nutritional properties. In this article, the plasma was generated using a high-voltage electrical discharge (HVED) with argon at a voltage of 35 kV and a frequency of 60 Hz. Plasma monitoring and diagnostics were performed using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) to optimise the process parameters and for quality control. OES was used as a non-invasive sensor to collect useful information about the properties of the plasma and to identify excited species. The values obtained for electron temperature and electron density (up to 2.3 eV and up to 1023 m−3) confirmed that the generated plasma is a non-thermal plasma. Therefore, the use of OES is recommended in the daily control of food processing, as this is necessary to confirm that the processes are non-thermal and suitable for the food sector.

Source: Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/app15158325

Authors: Sanda Pleslić, Franko Katalenić

Institutions: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb

Language: English

Topic: Plasma Applications and Diagnostics

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896

Funder: European Commission