Inactivation Process of Penicillium digitatum Spores Treated with Non-equilibrium Atmospheric Pressure Plasma

To investigate the inactivation process of Penicillium digitatum spores treated with a non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma, the spores were observed using a fluorescent microscope and compared with those treated with ultraviolet (UV) light or moist heat. The treated spores were stained with two fluorescent dyes, 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,Y,3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI) and diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP). The intracellular organelles as well as cell membranes in the spores treated with the plasma were stained with DiI without a major morphological change of the membranes, while the organelles were never stained in the spores treated with UV light or moist heat. Moreover, DPPP staining revealed that organelles were oxidized by plasma treatment unlike UV light or moist heat treatments. These results suggest that only plasma treatment induces a minor structural change or functional inhibition of cell membranes, which leads to the oxidation of the intracellular organelles without a major deformation of the membranes through the penetration of reactive oxygen species generated by the plasma into the cell.