Evaluation of the Treatment of Both Sides of Raw Chicken Breasts with an Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet for the Inactivation of Escherichia coli

The challenges and prospects of using cold plasma to prevent bacterial contamination and biofilm formation in the meat industry

The risk of foodborne disease outbreaks increases when the pathogenic bacteria are able to form biofilms, and this presents a major threat to public health. An emerging non-thermal cold plasma (CP) technology has proven a highly effective method for decontaminating meats and their products and extended their shelf life. CP treatments have ability to reduce microbial load and, biofilm formation with minimal change of color, pH value, and lipid oxidation of various meat and meat products. The CP technique offers many advantages over conventional processing techniques due to its layout flexibility, nonthermal behavior, affordability, and ecological sustainability. The technology is still in its infancy, and continuous research efforts are needed to realize its full potential in the meat industry. This review addresses the basic principles and the impact of CP technology on biofilm formation, meat quality (including microbiological, color, pH value, texture, and lipid oxidation), and microbial inactivation pathways and also the prospects of this technology.

On-going issues regarding biofilm formation in meat and meat products: challenges and future perspectives

The meat industry has been significantly threatened by the risks of foodborne microorganisms and biofilm formation on fresh meat and processed products. A microbial biofilm is a sophisticated defensive mechanism that enables bacterial cells to survive in unfavorable environmental circumstances. Generally, foodborne pathogens form biofilms in various areas of meat-processing plants, and adequate sanitization of these areas is challenging owing to the high tolerance of biofilm cells to sanitization compared with their planktonic states. Consequently, preventing biofilm initiation and maturation using effective and powerful technologies is imperative. In this review, novel and advanced technologies that prevent bacterial and biofilm development via individual and combined intervention technologies, such as ultrasound, cold plasma, enzymes, bacteriocins, essential oils, and phages, were evaluated. The evidence regarding current technologies revealed in this paper is potentially beneficial to the meat industry in preventing bacterial contamination and biofilm formation in food products and processing equipment.

Innovative Application of Cold Plasma Technology in Meat and Its Products

The growing demand for sustainable food production and the rising consumer preference for fresh, healthy, and safe food products have been driving the need for innovative methods for processing and preserving food. In the meat industry, this demand has led to the development of new interventions aimed at extending the shelf life of meats and its products while maintaining their quality and nutritional value. Cold plasma has recently emerged as a subject of great interest in the meat industry due to its potential to enhance the microbiological safety of meat and its products. This review discusses the latest research on the possible application of cold plasma in the meat processing industry, considering its effects on various quality attributes and its potential for meat preservation and enhancement. In this regard, many studies have reported substantial antimicrobial efficacy of cold plasma technology in beef, pork, lamb and chicken, and their products with negligible changes in their physicochemical attributes. Further, the application of cold plasma in meat processing has shown promising results as a potential novel curing agent for cured meat products. Understanding the mechanisms of action and the interactions between cold plasma and food ingredients is crucial for further exploring the potential of this technology in the meat industry, ultimately leading to the development of safe and high-quality meat products using cold plasma technology.

Treatment of Fresh Meat, Fish and Products Thereof with Cold Atmospheric Plasma to Inactivate Microbial Pathogens and Extend Shelf Life

Assuring the safety of muscle foods and seafood is based on prerequisites and specific measures targeted against defined hazards. This concept is augmented by 'interventions', which are chemical or physical treatments, not genuinely part of the production process, but rather implemented in the framework of a safety assurance system. The present paper focuses on 'Cold Atmospheric pressure Plasma' (CAP) as an emerging non-thermal intervention for microbial decontamination. Over the past decade, a vast number of studies have explored the antimicrobial potential of different CAP systems against a plethora of different foodborne microorganisms. This contribution aims at providing a comprehensive reference and appraisal of the latest literature in the area, with a specific focus on the use of CAP for the treatment of fresh meat, fish and associated products to inactivate microbial pathogens and extend shelf life. Aspects such as changes to organoleptic and nutritional value alongside other matrix effects are considered, so as to provide the reader with a clear insight into the advantages and disadvantages of CAP-based decontamination strategies.

A Cold Plasma Technology for Ensuring the Microbiological Safety and Quality of Foods

Changing consumers’ taste for chemical and thermally processed food and preference for perceived healthier minimally processed alternatives is a challenge to food industry. At present, several technologies have found usefulness as choice methods for ensuring that processed food remains unaltered while guaranteeing maximum safety and protection of consumers. However, the effectiveness of most green technology is limited due to the formation of resistant spores by certain foodborne microorganisms and the production of toxins. Cold plasma, a recent technology, has shown commendable superiority at both spore inactivation and enzymes and toxin deactivation. However, the exact mechanism behind the efficiency of cold plasma has remained unclear. In order to further optimize and apply cold plasma treatment in food processing, it is crucial to understand these mechanisms and possible factors that might limit or enhance their effectiveness and outcomes. As a novel non-thermal technology, cold plasma has emerged as a means to ensure the microbiological safety of food. Furthermore, this review presents the different design configurations for cold plasma applications, analysis the mechanisms of microbial spore and biofilm inactivation, and examines the impact of cold plasma on food compositional, organoleptic, and nutritional quality.

Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella on Stainless Steel by a Piezoelectric Cold Atmospheric Plasma Generator

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) is a novel non-thermal technology that is gaining increasing importance as a decontamination method. Stainless steel is a widespread food contact surface used in food-processing environments. In this study, for the first time, a low-voltage piezoelectric CAP device that uses ambient air was assessed for its antimicrobial efficiency against Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. These inoculated on stainless steel at different exposure times (0–300 s), two different distances (10 and 20 mm), and two different cleanliness levels (clean and protein-soiled). Two inactivation models were compared to study the inactivation kinetics of the pathogens. The results showed that CAP treatment effectively reduced L. monocytogenes and Salmonella levels. The Weibull + tail model showed better goodness of fit than the Weibull model. Protein-soiled coupons showed a protective effect to cold plasma inactivation achieving lower reductions compared to clean stainless-steel coupons for both L. monocytogenes and Salmonella. Longer distances from the plasma source decreased the decontamination efficiency of CAP; however, the difference in pathogen reduction was less pronounced at longer exposure times. This study demonstrates the capacity of a low-voltage piezoelectric CAP device to effectively reduce the levels of both foodborne pathogens on stainless-steel surfaces and the potential to adopt this technology by the food industry as a disinfection process of surfaces to reduce cross-contamination and thus increase safety.

Mechanism Underlying Green Discolouration of Myoglobin Induced by Atmospheric Pressure Plasma

In this study, we elucidated the mechanism underlying atmospheric pressure plasma (APP)-induced green discolouration of myoglobin. Green-coloured pigments are produced upon conversion of myoglobin into sulphmyoglobin, choleglobin, verdoheme, nitrihemin, or nitrimyoglobin. We exposed myoglobin dissolved in phosphate buffer to APP for 20 min and found a decrease in a* value (+redness/-greenness) and increase in b* value (+yellowness/-blueness) (P < 0.05). In the ultraviolet absorption spectrum, myoglobin treated with APP for 20 min showed absorption peaks at 503 and 630 nm, a spectrum different from that of sulphmyoglobin or choleglobin. The secondary structure and molecular weight of myoglobin were unaffected by APP treatment, excluding the possibility of verdoheme or nitrihemin formation. After APP treatment, nitrite was produced in myoglobin solution that provided a positive environment for nitrimyoglobin formation. However, the addition of 0.5% sodium dithionite, a strong reducing agent, to myoglobin solution resulted in the formation of deoxymyoglobin, which was subsequently converted to nitrosomyoglobin upon APP treatment to yield a desirable red colour. Thus, APP-induced green colouration in myoglobin solution is associated with nitrimyoglobin formation. The addition of the antioxidant resulted in the production of red colour in myoglobin solution after APP treatment owing to nitrosomyoglobin formation.

Influences of cold atmospheric plasma on microbial safety, physicochemical and sensorial qualities of meat products

Meat and meat products can be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, which cause serious health problems and economic loss. Recently, numerous novel non-thermal technologies have been developed to respond to growing consumer demand for high quality and safe meat products. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel and emerging non-thermal technology, showing great potential for applications in the food industry. This review presents recent advances on the developments and applications of CAP in meat products, including generation and microbial inactivation effects of CAP as well as its influences on physicochemical qualities and sensory attributes of meat products. Furthermore, the safety assessment of CAP-treated meat products and challenges in industrial application of CAP are also discussed.

Plasma-Functionalized Solution: A Potent Antimicrobial Agent for Biomedical Applications from Antibacterial Therapeutics to Biomaterial Surface Engineering

Deadly diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses have increasingly victimized humans; thus, the importance of disinfection has increased in medical settings as well as in food and agricultural industries. Plasma contains multiple bactericidal agents, including reactive species, charged particles, and photons, which can have synergistic effects. In particular, the chemicals formed in aqueous solution during plasma exposure have the potential for high antibacterial activity against various bacterial infections. Here, we report the antibiotic potency of plasma-treated water (PTW). To illustrate the applicability of PTW for disinfecting biological substances, an Escherichia coli biofilm was used. We sought to identify the chemical species in PTW and investigate their separate effects on biofilm removal. Dielectric barrier discharge in ambient air was used to prepare the PTW and treat the biofilm directly. Hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and nitrites were identified as the long-lived reactive species in the PTW, whereas hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anions were identified as the short-lived reactive species in the PTW; all these species showed an ability to disinfect in biofilm removal.

Use of Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma for Meat Industry

Novel, effective methods to control and prevent spoilage and contamination by pathogenic microorganisms in meat and meat products are in constant demand. Non-thermal pasteurization is an ideal method for the preservation of meat and meat products because it does not use heat during the pasteurization process. Atmospheric pressure cold plasma (APCP) is a new technology for the non-thermal pasteurization of meat and meat products. Several recent studies have shown that APCP treatment reduces the number of pathogenic microorganisms in meat and meat products. Furthermore, APCP treatment can be used to generate nitrite, which is an essential component of the curing process. Here, we introduce the effectiveness of APCP treatment as a pasteurization method and/or curing process for use in the meat and meat product processing industry.

Evaluation of the microbiological safety, quality changes, and genotoxicity of chicken breast treated with flexible thin-layer dielectric barrier discharge plasma

The microbiological safety, quality changes, and genotoxicity of chicken breasts treated with flexible thin-layer dielectric barrier discharge (FTDBD) plasma inside a sealed package were investigated. Following 10 min plasma treatment, the numbers of total aerobic bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Typhimurium were reduced by 3.36, 2.14, 2.73, and 2.71 Log CFU/g, respectively. Color L* and b* values increased whereas a* value decreased following plasma treatment with increasing exposure duration. Lipid oxidation was unaffected by plasma treatment. In sensory evaluation, flavor decreased and off-flavor increased with extended plasma exposure time, however, these changes had no effect on acceptability. Increased cohesiveness was the only texture profile analysis parameter that changed following plasma treatment. No genotoxicity was detected in plasma-treated chicken breast using the Salmonella mutagenicity assay. Therefore, FTDBD plasma is applicable since it is able to improve microbiological safety with minimal changes in sensory properties of the chicken breast.

Effect of atmospheric pressure plasma jet on the foodborne pathogens attached to commercial food containers

Bacterial biofilms are associated with numerous infections and problems in the health care and food industries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bactericidal effect of an atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) jet on Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium biofilm formation on collagen casing (CC), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which are widely used food container materials. The samples were treated separately with the APP jet at a 50-W input power for 5 and 10 min, and nitrogen (6 l per minute) gas combined with oxygen (10 standard cubic centimeters per minute) was used to produce the APP. The APP jet reduced the number of bacterial cells in a time-dependent manner. All pathogens attached to CC, PP, and PET were reduced by 3-4 log CFU/cm(2) by the 10-min APP treatment. The developed APP jet was effectively reduced biofilms on CC, PP, and PET.