Abstract
Demand for food quality and extended freshness without the use of harmful chemicals has become a major topic over the last decade. New technologies are using UV light, strong electric field, ozone and other reactive agents to decontaminate food surfaces. The low-power non-equilibrium (cold) atmospheric pressure operating plasmas effectively combines all the qualities mentioned above and thus, due to their synergetic influence, promising results in fruit surface decontamination can be obtained. The present paper focuses on the applicability of the recently developed microwave surface wave sustained plasma torch for the treatment of selected small fruit. Optical emission spectroscopy is used for the determination of plasma active particles (radicals, UV light) and plasma parameters during the fruit treatment. The infrared camera images confirm low and fully applicable heating of the treated surface that ensures no fruit quality changes. The detailed study shows that the efficiency of the microbial decontamination of selected fruits naturally contaminated by microorganisms is strongly dependent on the fruit surface shape. The decontamination of the rough strawberry surface seems inefficient using the current configuration, but for smooth berries promising results were obtained. Finally, antioxidant activity measurements demonstrate no changes due to plasma treatment. The results confirm that the MW surface wave sustained discharge is applicable to fruit surface decontamination.
Highlights
IntroductionConsumers have been seeking more nutritious, less chemically processed foods
During the last decade, consumers have been seeking more nutritious, less chemically processed foods
Microwave (MW) power supplied from the generator was adjustable in order to optimize discharge conditions; the powers of 5 W, 7 W and 9 W were used in the present study for the fruit surface treatment
Summary
Consumers have been seeking more nutritious, less chemically processed foods. They are expecting “bacteria-free” products with high quality and long shelf life. These rather contradictory demands lead to a new interdisciplinary field of study that combines physics, biology and chemistry in food safety investigations, focused on guaranteeing and improving nutritional qualities. The treating gas must be well activated, i.e., it must contain a high concentration of agents initiating bacterial inactivation. These conditions can be very effectively fulfilled by Atmospheric Pressure Non-Thermal
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