A Review of Microbial Decontamination of Cereals by Non-Thermal Plasma
Vladimír Scholtz,
Jana Jirešová,
Božena Šerá,
Jaroslav Julák
Affiliations
Vladimír Scholtz
Department of Physics and Measurements, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
Jana Jirešová
Department of Physics and Measurements, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
Božena Šerá
Department of Environmental Ecology and Landscape Management, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia
Jaroslav Julák
Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Studničkova 7, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Cereals, an important food for humans and animals, may carry microbial contamination undesirable to the consumer or to the next generation of plants. Currently, non-thermal plasma (NTP) is often considered a new and safe microbicidal agent without or with very low adverse side effects. NTP is a partially or fully ionized gas at room temperature, typically generated by various electric discharges and rich in reactive particles. This review summarizes the effects of NTP on various types of cereals and products. NTP has undisputed beneficial effects with high potential for future practical use in decontamination and disinfection.
