The effect of cold atmospheric plasma and linalool nanoemulsions against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on ready-to-eat chicken meat

Abstract

In this study, the antimicrobial efficiency of a novel low-voltage piezoelectric direct discharge generated cold plasma (CAP) and linalool-loaded nanoemulsion washing (LW) was assessed against Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken meat. The antimicrobial activity of the nanoemulsified linalool and its effect on cell membrane permeability were also determined in vitro. Nanoemulsified linalool showed similar antimicrobial activity against Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. The antimicrobial activity of CAP (0–5 min) and LW (0–25 min) treatments were determined individually and in combination in different sequence of application on RTE chicken. Individual treatments of CAP (5 min) and LW (25 min) achieved similar reduction levels for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella (1.4–1.8 log CFU/g). The combination of CAP (5 min) followed by LW (25 min) showed the highest reductions, 2.76 and > 3.24 log CFU/g for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, respectively, without significantly affecting the lipid oxidation levels of RTE chicken meat. This is the first report on the antibacterial effect of a piezoelectric direct discharge generated cold plasma to enhance food safety. Cold plasma, alone or in combination with linalool nanoemulsions, can be adopted by the food industry for decontamination of RTE chicken meat.