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Microbial decontamination of chicken using atmospheric plasma bubbles
Author(s) -
MaiProchnow Anne,
Alam David,
Zhou Renwu,
Zhang Tianqi,
Ostrikov Kostya Ken,
Cullen Patrick J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.202000052
Subject(s) - human decontamination , ozone , nitrite , atmospheric pressure plasma , plasma , chemistry , nitrate , dielectric barrier discharge , peroxide , bubble , scanning electron microscope , materials science , analytical chemistry (journal) , environmental chemistry , nuclear chemistry , electrode , waste management , composite material , organic chemistry , physics , engineering , quantum mechanics , parallel computing , computer science
Abstract In this study, we demonstrate that atmospheric air plasma bubbles are an effective, energy‐efficient, residue‐free alternative to current decontamination techniques. Five to fifteen minutes of plasma‐bubble treatments of inoculated chicken skin led to a significant reduction in colony‐forming units (CFUs). We show that the activation efficiency is dependent on the plasma discharge frequency, with a higher one (2,000 Hz) leading to a higher CFU reduction (1.4 log) as compared with a lower (0.3 log) reduction at 1,000 Hz. Scanning electron microscopy pictures of treated bacteria reveal damage to the cells. An evaluation of the physicochemical properties of the generated plasma‐activated water revealed an increase in conductivity and in ozone, nitrite, nitrate, hydroxyl, and peroxide concentrations with higher frequencies, all contributing to the observed antimicrobial effect.