Effect of non-thermal plasma treatment on carrot slices

Abstract

Non-thermal plasma can effectively facilitate microbial inactivation while maintaining the product quality due to its low temperature operation. This study investigates the effect of non-thermal plasma on physical quality parameters (weight loss and firmness) and microbial safety (total plate count) of carrot slices. A low-pressure DC glow discharge device operated at different power levels of 10, 20, and 30 W was used for non-thermal plasma treatment of carrot slices with exposure times of 5, 10, 15, and 20 min. After plasma treatment, the total plate count of carrot slices significantly reduced from an initial population of 6.3 log CFU/g. The inactivation efficiency was found to increase with both treatment power and exposure time. The measurements on physical quality parameters showed significant differences between the treatments. The results implicate the potential of non-thermal plasma treatment to decontaminate carrot slices but quality changes must be considered to guarantee consumer’s acceptance.