Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) fungal and mycotoxin contamination control enhanced by a dual-frequency cold plasma

Abstract

In this study a dual-frequency plasma generated at 1 Pa in synthetic air was investigated for the inactivation of fungal contaminants and the reduction of mycotoxin content in bread wheat grains. This coupled device increased the rates of emitted species (RONS and UV) and provided a relative control of charged particles flux-energy balance (ne ≃ 1016 m−3 − ɛi ≃ 8 eV). This plasma-based decontamination process allowed 1.5 log of reduction onto wheat grains exposed 90 min to plasma and a degradation of more than 90 % for the deoxynivalenol mycotoxin content of a glass carrier after 5 min plasma exposure.