DEVELOPMENT OF COLD ATMOSPHERIC PLASMA DEVICE FOR FOOD DECONTAMINATION

The experiment is designed to optimize the prototype of CAP device for maximum foodborne pathogen inactivation on produce, with Salmonella enterica as a model pathogen and pecans as the model produce. The optimization consists of the evaluation of certain variables in device design (dielectric material, electrode width, and gap distance of electrode) on the efficacy of pathogen inactivation and then the evaluation of device operational factors (power input, pulse intervals, and relative humidity of the air).Objective 1: To assess the impact of electrode arrangements and dielectric materials on the inactivation of Salmonella enterica (model foodborne pathogen) on in-shell pecans (model produce) by cold atmospheric plasma.Objective 2: To investigate the influence of power input and related operational parameters on the inactivation of the pathogen on pecans,