Abstract
The accidental contamination of food and food packaging surfaces with SARS-CoV-2 is of increasing concern among scientists and consumers, particularly in relation to fresh foods that are consumed without further cooking. The use of chemical sanitizers is often not suitable for these kinds of commodities; therefore, a non-thermal sanitation technology could help to increase safety in relation to the food supply chain. Cold plasma has proven to be a promising strategy for virus inactivation. This research is aimed at evaluating the ability of a cold plasma sanitation system to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 RNA on packaged foods. Two different plastic materials were investigated and subjected to 5- and 10-min exposure to plasma after experimental inoculum of the RNA. In addition to viral degradation, possible changes in the performance of the materials were evaluated. Shelf-life of the foods, after exposure of the packages to plasma, was also investigated. Results showed that 10 min of exposure was sufficient to almost completely eliminate the viral RNA from package surfaces. The treatment did not produce any significant variation in packaging material performance or the shelf-life of the tested packaged products, indicating the potentiality of this treatment for the decontamination of packaged products.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a member of the Coronaviridae family whose genome is a single-stranded RNA molecule [1]
Further studies will be undertaken in due course in our lab in order to assess the cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) effect on the SARS-CoV-2 virus whole capsid, using combinations of methods able to assess both of these different types of actions
The present study investigated the use of a newly developed plasma sanitation system for food packaging decontamination from SARS-CoV-2 RNA
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a member of the Coronaviridae family whose genome is a single-stranded RNA molecule [1]. The spread of SARS-CoV-2 in humans occurs mainly by air due to sneezing, coughing, and exhaling, or via contaminated surfaces and objects, these seem to be less important in sustaining viral diffusion [2]. Different risk assessments have been carried out by food safety agencies to determine whether food or food contact materials represent a significant risk to food safety in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has excluded the possibility of transmission of the virus through the digestive tract; the possibility that the respiratory tract could become infected during the ingestion of contaminated food or water cannot be completely excluded. An infected person can contaminate food by handling it with dirty hands or through droplets from coughing or sneezing. Exposure of foods to 63 ◦ C for 4 min (used for the preparation of hot food in collective catering) has been shown to be sufficient to inactivate the virus [3]
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