Microwave-powered cold plasma treatments (CPTs) have potential application to increase the microbiological safety

Microwave-powered cold plasma treatment (CPT) was evaluated as a means to improve the microbiological safety of fresh vegetables and dried fruits.? The CPT at 900?W, conducted for 10?min using nitrogen as a plasma-forming gas, inactivated Salmonella Typhimurium inoculated on cabbage and lettuce by approximately 1.5?log CFU/g. The CPT at 400?900?W and 667?Pa, conducted for 1?10?min using a helium?oxygen gas mixture, inactivated Listeria monocytogenes on cabbage by 0.3?2.1?log CFU/g in a time-dependent manner (P?<?0.05). The Weibull model adequately described the inactivation of L.?monocytogenes on cabbage by CPT. The CPT at the optimum conditions of treatment power (400?W) and time (10?min) inactivated L.?monocytogenes on lettuce by 1.8???0.2?log CFU/g. As the water activity of the dried figs increased from 0.70 to 0.93, the reductions in numbers of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and L.?monocytogenes on figs increased from 0.5 to 1.3?log CFU/g and from 1.0 to 1.6?log CFU/g, respectively. The microbial inactivation by CPT increased synergistically when the pH of the figs was reduced from 6 to 4. CTPs have potential application to increase the microbiological safety of vegetables and dried fruits. Sources Hanna Lee, Jung Eun Kim, Myong-Soo Chung, Sea C. Min, Cold plasma treatment for the microbiological safety of cabbage, lettuce, and dried figs, Food Microbiology, Volume 51, October 2015, Pages 74-80, ISSN 0740-0020, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2015.05.004.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002015000982) Picture by nuts.com