The green technology of cold plasma jet on the inactivation of Aspergillus flavus and the total aflatoxin level in pistachio and its quality properties

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, the effect of cold plasma on the reduction of Aspergillus flavus and total aflatoxin level in pistachio and some of its quality properties were investigated. Independent variables for reducing A. flavus and aflatoxin include plasma exposure time (5–10–15 min), power supply voltage (10–15–20 kV), argon to air composition (0–50–100%), and the dose of inoculated toxin. The most significant effect on reducing A. flavus compared to other variables was observed when the voltage of the power supply was increased, reaching the highest impact on A. flavus. According to air is cheap and available gas, it reduces plasma production costs. Therefore, in this study, a combination of air and argon gas was used. Also in this study, specific doses of aflatoxin were examined, which shows how much the target system can reduce the dose of aflatoxin. Optimization results showed the highest fungal reduction (5.14 log) after a plasma exposure time of 15 min, the voltage of 20 kV, 62.23% of argon in the gas mixture with air when the maximal aflatoxin (B1, 83.70%; B2, 74.36%; G1 41.39%, and G2, 50.74%;) reductions were obtained after a plasma exposure time of 15 min, 54.26% of argon in the gas mixture with air, and fixed‐dose of 20 ppb of aflatoxin. The results of the evaluation of pistachio characteristics show that there were no significant differences between the results of the control sample and the sample treated with cold plasma jet. So, this technique can be used to reduce A. flavus and aflatoxin with a reduced impact on the quality characteristics of pistachio kernels.Practical ApplicationFood contaminants are challenging the food industry due to the inefficiency of conventional disinfection techniques. Aflatoxin contamination is one of the significant challenges for the food industry since it has acute toxicological effects on consumers Cold plasma (CP) has attracted considerable attention as an emerging technique for the degradation of food contaminants. Elimination of aflatoxins increases the profits of industries and farmers related to pistachios or other nuts. This system can suggest to the food industries for increasing the health of their products.