Argon gas plasma to decontaminate and extend shelf life of milk

Treatment of milk with argon gas plasma was investigated for its ability to kill bacteria and increase shelf life and compared with commercially pasteurized milk. The discharge was generated by a nanosecond pulse generator using the needle point‐to‐plate electrode. The total bacterial count of 6.8 l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plasma processes and polymers 2017-11, Vol.14 (11), p.1600242-n/a
Main Authors: Ponraj, Sri B., Sharp, Julie A., Kanwar, Jagat R., Sinclair, Andrew J., Kviz, Ladge, Nicholas, Kevin R., Dai, Xiujuan J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Argon
argon plasma
Bacteria
Decontamination
Food processing industry
hydrogen peroxide
Milk
Pasteurization
Plasma
Pulse generators
Shelf life
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Summary:Treatment of milk with argon gas plasma was investigated for its ability to kill bacteria and increase shelf life and compared with commercially pasteurized milk. The discharge was generated by a nanosecond pulse generator using the needle point‐to‐plate electrode. The total bacterial count of 6.8 log CFU/mL in raw milk was reduced to 1.9 log CFU/mL after 2 min of plasma treatment and 2.2 log CFU/mL after 30 min of pasteurization. The plasma treated milk stored at 4 °C showed no significant changes in the bacterial count for 6 weeks while the bacterial counts in pasteurized milk were significantly increased from 2.2 to 4.2 log CFU/mL after 2 weeks. These results demonstrated plasma treatment as an alternative way to decontaminate and increase shelf life of milk. This paper demonstrates the use of argon gas plasma to reduce the bacterial count and prolong the shelf life in bovine milk.
ISSN:1612-8850
1612-8869
DOI:10.1002/ppap.201600242