Evaluation of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (CAPP) and Plasma-Activated Water (PAW) as alternative non-thermal decontamination technologies for tofu: impact on microbiological, sensorial and functional quality attributes

Publication date: Available online 3 December 2019Source: Food Research InternationalAuthor(s): Elvira Frías, Yenea Iglesias, Avelino Alvarez-Ordóñez, Miguel Prieto, Montserrat González-Raurich, Mercedes LópezAbstractThe efficacy of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (CAPP) for the inactivation of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on tofu was evaluated. The potential of using Plasma Activated Water (PAW) as an immersion solution for controlling microbial growth in tofu throughout its shelf-life was also investigated. The effects of these strategies on the physical and functional properties of treated tofu were also studied. CAPP treatment of tofu caused a limited inactivation of microbial populations, with log10 reductions attained ranging from 0.2 to 0.6 log10 for S. Enteritidis and E. coli O157:H7, respectively, after a 15 min treatment. CAPP did not affect tofu’s water holding capacity, but it dried it and gave rise to changes in color and texture, which were reverted by immersing the treated product in distilled water. Refrigerated storage of tofu using PAW as an immersion solution was effective in controlling microbial growth. Thus, total counts obtained after 28 days of storage were around 3 log10 units lower than those observed for tofu stored immersed in non-treated deionized water. In addition, this strategy led to a product with a higher functional value than the...
Source: Food Research International - Category: Food Science Source Type: research