Effect of Plasma-Activated Water on the Microbial Decontamination and Food Quality of Thin Sheets of Bean Curd

Abstract

Thin sheets of bean curd may serve as an excellent source of nutrition for microorganisms and are therefore prone to contamination, which can be harmful to public health. This study evaluated the influence of plasma-activated water (PAW) on the microbial load and food quality of thin sheets of bean curd. Treatment for 30 min with PAW that was activated for 90 s reduced the microbial count by 1.26 and 0.91 log10 CFU/g for total aerobic bacteria and total yeasts and molds on thin sheets of bean curd, respectively. The effect of PAW on microbial inactivation strongly depended on the activation time for PAW generation and the soaking time of the thin sheets of bean curd in PAW. Further, PAW could maintain total isoflavone content, sensory properties, and most of the textural properties of the thin sheets of bean curd. Although PAW treatments caused significant changes in color parameters of the thin sheets of bean curd, the appearance acceptance was not significantly influenced. This work highlights the potential application of PAW in the microbial decontamination of thin sheets of bean curd.