Atmospheric cold plasma inactivation of aerobic microorganisms on blueberries and effects on quality attributes

作者：Lacombe, Alison; Niemira, Brendan A.^*; Gurtler, Joshua B.; Fan, Xuetong; Sites, Joseph; Boyd, Glenn; Chen, Haiqiang

来源：Food Microbiology, 2015, 46: 479-484.

DOI：10.1016/j.fm.2014.09.010

• Cold plasma
• Blueberry
• Microflora
• Storage
• Quality
• Sensory attributes

Cold plasma (CP) is a novel nonthermal technology, potentially useful in food processing settings. Berries were treated with atmospheric CP for 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, or 120 s at a working distance of 7.5 cm with a mixture of 4 cubic feet/minute (cfm) of CP jet and 7 cfm of ambient air. Blueberries were sampled for total aerobic plate count (APC) and yeast/molds immediately after treatment and at 1, 2, and 7 days. Blueberries were also analyzed for compression firmness, surface color, and total anthocyanins immediately after each treatment. All treatments with CP significantly (P < 0.05) reduced APC after exposure, with reductions ranging from 0.8 to 1.6 log CFU/g and 1.5 to 2.0 log CFU/g compared to the control after 1 and 7 days, respectively. Treatments longer than 60 s resulted in significant reductions in firmness, although it was demonstrated that collisions between the berries and the container contributed significantly to softening. A significant reduction in anthocyanins was observed after 90 s. The surface color measurements were significantly impacted after 120 s for the L* and a* values and 45 s for the b* values. CP can inactivate microorganisms on blueberries and could be optimized to improve the safety and quality of produce. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

• 出版日期2015-4