Non‐thermal Plasma as a Decontamination Technology for Improving Microbial Safety of Fresh Produce

Nonthermal plasma (NTP) and plasma‐activated water (PAW) are emerging nonthermal technologies for microbial decontamination of fresh vegetable and fruit products. Yet, their efficacy is strongly influenced by microbial type and matrix complexity. This study evaluated the antimicrobial performance of NTP and PAW against two foodborne bacterial pathogens, namely Salmonella Typhimurium ( S. Typhimurium ) and Listeria monocytogenes ( L. monocytogenes ), as well as bacteriophage ΦX174 as a viral surrogate. The effects of NTP and PAW were studied on two fresh produce surfaces of Eruca sativa (arugula) and Fragaria ananassa Duch (strawberry) in aqueous suspensions. The OES confirmed the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) with high electron density. In water, direct NTP achieved rapid inactivation of bacterial pathogens (> 5 log 10 within 2–3 min), whereas efficacy on produce surfaces was reduced, with maximum reductions of ~2.5 log 10 on arugula and ~2 log 10 on strawberries, while higher reductions (> 5 log 10 ) were observed in the corresponding aqueous phase. In contrast, PAW demonstrated strong bactericidal activity in aqueous systems (up to ~4.9 log 10 ) and on produce surfaces, achieving ~2.5 log 10 reduction on arugula and ~3.1 log 10 on strawberries for S. Typhimurium . However, viral inactivation was more limited and matrix‐dependent, with PAW achieving ~2.3 log 10 reduction on arugula but only ~0.5 log 10 on strawberries. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed severe membrane damage to the selected bacterial pathogens after treatment and microbial localization within the produce surface pores, explaining matrix‐associated protection. Overall, NTP and PAW show strong potential to enhance the safety of fresh produce, but further optimization is needed to overcome surface shielding and preserve product quality.