Investigation of the effect factors of atmospheric cold plasma of dielectric barrier discharge on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis inactivation

Abstract

More than half of foodborne illnesses are attributed to pathogenic bacteria, posing considerable health and economic dangers. Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SESE) is a prevalent bacterial pathogen responsible for a higher number of hospitalizations and fatalities compared to other bacteria. Non-thermal plasma, an innovative decontamination technique, exhibits the potential to serve as an intervention strategy for food safety. The study aimed to explore the possibility of deactivating SESE through a brief industrial treatment utilizing non-thermal atmospheric cold plasma of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) devices. To assess the reduction of SESE, air was used as the process gas under different experimental circumstances, with Petridishes containing an initial concentration of 107 CFU/mL. Emission spectroscopy was employed to monitor the key factors of plasma deactivation, namely ultraviolet radiation and reactive species. The application of the DBD cold plasma device resulted in a decrease in SESE concentration by over 7 log CFU/mL following a 60-second treatment. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy revealed that atmospheric cold plasma treatment caused significant physical damage to the cells.

Keywords

• cold plasma
• microbial load
• optical emission spectroscopy
• scanning electron microscopy