Microbial Decontamination of Fresh-Cut Carrots via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: Effect on Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties During Storage
The extension of shelf-life and enhancement of the safety and quality of fresh-cut ready-to-eat vegetables is an ongoing public health concern. The present study investigated the efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment for the decontamination of fresh-cut carrots inoculated with <i>...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Efe Bakla Ufuk Bağcı |
| author_facet | Efe Bakla Ufuk Bağcı |
| author_sort | Efe Bakla |
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| description | The extension of shelf-life and enhancement of the safety and quality of fresh-cut ready-to-eat vegetables is an ongoing public health concern. The present study investigated the efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment for the decontamination of fresh-cut carrots inoculated with <i>Escherichia coli</i>. An atmospheric plasma jet system operating at 1 kVA was utilized for treatment with varying plasma jet nozzle to sample distances (10–40 mm), exposure times (10–60 s) and either argon or dry air at 3 bar as working gases. It was demonstrated that both working gases achieved more than 4 log reductions in <i>E. coli</i> within 60 s of treatment while maintaining carrot surface temperatures below 50 °C. During 3-week storage at 4 °C, the immediate effects of plasma treatment on quality parameters were found to be minimal, with no significant changes observed in color (Δ<i>E</i> < 3.0) parameters, β-carotene content, ascorbic acid levels, total phenolic content (TPC), or total antioxidant activity (TAA) following either treatment. Additionally, plasma-treated carrots retained their firmness, showing no significant texture loss, whereas untreated controls experienced a firmness decline of approximately 9% by the end of storage. Notably, TPC increased by up to 41%, and TAA increased significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in plasma-treated samples during storage, especially in dry air plasma-treated carrots. These results demonstrated that CAP treatment can be successfully applied for rapid inactivation of <i>E. coli</i> on fresh-cut carrot surfaces while preserving original quality characteristics during refrigerated storage, offering potential as non-thermal preservation technology for fresh produce. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e7a122c7eed849598e0259e7a6121c8a2025-08-20T01:49:18ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-05-01149159910.3390/foods14091599Microbial Decontamination of Fresh-Cut Carrots via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: Effect on Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties During StorageEfe Bakla0Ufuk Bağcı1Edirne Food Control Laboratory Directorate, 22030 Edirne, TurkeyDepartment of Food Engineering, Trakya University, 22180 Edirne, TurkeyThe extension of shelf-life and enhancement of the safety and quality of fresh-cut ready-to-eat vegetables is an ongoing public health concern. The present study investigated the efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment for the decontamination of fresh-cut carrots inoculated with <i>Escherichia coli</i>. An atmospheric plasma jet system operating at 1 kVA was utilized for treatment with varying plasma jet nozzle to sample distances (10–40 mm), exposure times (10–60 s) and either argon or dry air at 3 bar as working gases. It was demonstrated that both working gases achieved more than 4 log reductions in <i>E. coli</i> within 60 s of treatment while maintaining carrot surface temperatures below 50 °C. During 3-week storage at 4 °C, the immediate effects of plasma treatment on quality parameters were found to be minimal, with no significant changes observed in color (Δ<i>E</i> < 3.0) parameters, β-carotene content, ascorbic acid levels, total phenolic content (TPC), or total antioxidant activity (TAA) following either treatment. Additionally, plasma-treated carrots retained their firmness, showing no significant texture loss, whereas untreated controls experienced a firmness decline of approximately 9% by the end of storage. Notably, TPC increased by up to 41%, and TAA increased significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in plasma-treated samples during storage, especially in dry air plasma-treated carrots. These results demonstrated that CAP treatment can be successfully applied for rapid inactivation of <i>E. coli</i> on fresh-cut carrot surfaces while preserving original quality characteristics during refrigerated storage, offering potential as non-thermal preservation technology for fresh produce.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1599cold atmospheric plasmafresh producemicrobial inactivationsurface decontaminationnonthermal processing |
| spellingShingle | Efe Bakla Ufuk Bağcı Microbial Decontamination of Fresh-Cut Carrots via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: Effect on Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties During Storage Foods cold atmospheric plasma fresh produce microbial inactivation surface decontamination nonthermal processing |
| title | Microbial Decontamination of Fresh-Cut Carrots via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: Effect on Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties During Storage |
| title_full | Microbial Decontamination of Fresh-Cut Carrots via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: Effect on Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties During Storage |
| title_fullStr | Microbial Decontamination of Fresh-Cut Carrots via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: Effect on Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties During Storage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microbial Decontamination of Fresh-Cut Carrots via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: Effect on Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties During Storage |
| title_short | Microbial Decontamination of Fresh-Cut Carrots via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: Effect on Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties During Storage |
| title_sort | microbial decontamination of fresh cut carrots via cold atmospheric plasma treatment effect on physicochemical and nutritional properties during storage |
| topic | cold atmospheric plasma fresh produce microbial inactivation surface decontamination nonthermal processing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1599 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT efebakla microbialdecontaminationoffreshcutcarrotsviacoldatmosphericplasmatreatmenteffectonphysicochemicalandnutritionalpropertiesduringstorage AT ufukbagcı microbialdecontaminationoffreshcutcarrotsviacoldatmosphericplasmatreatmenteffectonphysicochemicalandnutritionalpropertiesduringstorage |