Impact of Atmospheric Pressure Microwave Plasma Treatment on Quality of Selected Spices

Abstract

Current industry needs are related to higher awareness of modern consumers. These consumers are looking for products in which properties such as bioactive compounds are preserved as much as possible. Plasma treatment is one of the most promising nonthermal technologies that can decontaminate food and keep its original properties. Therefore, the aim of this work was to examine the usefulness of atmospheric pressure argon microwave plasma on decontamination of black pepper seeds, allspice berries and juniper berries. The samples were irradiated by plasma for 15–60 s and their physicochemical (dry matter content, water activity, color, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, piperine content in black pepper seeds) and microbial (bacteria and molds count) quality was evaluated afterwards. Results demonstrated that plasma irradiation for 15 s was sufficient for partial inactivation of A. niger but less effective against the Gram-positive bacterium B. subtilis, regardless of the raw material. At the same time, plasma treatment reduced water activity, which can positively affect further storage of spices. Properly selected plasma parameters may also enhance extractability of phenolics or piperine (from black pepper seeds) and improve antioxidant activity with not very great, but visible, color changes.

Effect of Selected Drying Methods and Emerging Drying Intensification Technologies on the Quality of Dried Fruit: A Review

“…However, plasma application can also modify the surface properties of materials subjected for treatment, like some of the polymers [152]. The modification of the surface by cold plasma treatment was also reported for food products, such as black pepper seeds [153]. Recently, cold plasma has been reported as a pretreatment method for drying enhancement.…”

Application of Non-Thermal Plasma to Fungal Resources

“…Controlling fungal contamination is critical for improving the shelf-life and storage of post-harvest fresh produce, as well as food safety. Both artificially and naturally contaminated fruits and vegetables were examined after plasma decontamination [15,[101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120]. Aspergillus and Penicillium species are frequently used for the artificial contamination of fruits and vegetables, and plasma is used before or after fungal inoculation.…”

Effect of nonthermal treatments on selected natural food pigments and color changes in plant material

“…CP system generates myriads of reactive species such as ions, free radicals, light, and/or ozone. It is these reactive species the bioactive components in the tissues react with and get degraded (Wiktor et al., 2020).…”