Inactivation of Escherichia coliK-12 and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) by atmospheric pressure plasma

Foodborne diseases are often related to the consumption of microbially contaminated fresh produce. Infections occur due to Norovirus, Listeria or Samonella. However, contaminations with Escherichia coli and its pathovar EHEC (enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli) also result in serious health problems. To reduce/prevent microbial contaminations, cleaning and hygiene of food is indispensible. Due to many disadvantages of the currently used methods, the industry is demanding alternative techniques. One alternative could be the application of physical plasma. As a flexible and highly adaptable tool, it is used in manifold industrial applications. Therefore, three very different non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma techniques were investigated for their antimicrobial capacity regarding selected food contaminants. All plasma sources applied, resulted in a 3 to 5 log cycle reduction of E. coli K-12 and EHEC O157:H7 within 10 minutes treatment time. The gained results are very promising. Further investigations should handle the influence on food quality and other pathogens.