VATIS UPDATE Article

Kevin Keener, at Purdue University, the United States, is cooperation with other researchers at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Ireland, is working toward determining the effectiveness of electrically activating gases to produce atmospheric plasma within plastic packaging that houses those sliced and diced veggies and fruits. The next phase of testing will include liquids. This could ultimately lead to eliminating heat processes, or pasteurizing, that also eliminate vital nutrients and enzymes with the microbes.

The current phase of testing is with atmospheric cold plasma. Prior testing had determined that applying an electrical field to liquids reduced microbial activity drastically. “Results from recent testing of E. coli bacteria in liquid suspensions demonstrated significant bacterial reductions with no heating or visual color change. This suggests that atmospheric cold plasma treatment may achieve a cold pasteurization process for liquid foods to extend shelf-life and improve safety,” saids Keener.

The way it works is electrical voltage is applied to a plastic bag containing the food items. The bag acts as an insulator to prevent the current from flowing through the food items, but the voltage at 50 to 100 watts activates the air inside to produce ozone, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen peroxide and other gases, all of which kill bacteria, stop fungal activity and prevent viral replication. The wattage is comparable to the energy needed to light the average filament light bulb. At under a minute of electrical voltage, the cost per item is low while the results are thus far better than older methods employed for sanitizing food.