Cold Plasma: A Case Study in Critical Factors Affecting Development and Validation of a Novel Technology

Contamination of fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, seafood and other products by foodborne pathogens has prompted research into novel interventions. Cold plasma is a nonthermal food processing technology which uses energetic, reactive gases to inactivate contaminating microbes. This flexible sanitizing method uses electricity and a carrier gas such as air, oxygen, nitrogen or helium; antimicrobial chemical agents are not required. In order to validate cold plasma as a viable intervention for foods and food contact surfaces, and to support development of the technology from the laboratory to the pilot scale and ultimately to commercialization, key elements related to the performance, efficacy, and regulatory standing must be identified and addressed. As an emerging technology, a variety of competing cold plasma equipment designs are under development in research environments worldwide. Unlike other relatively new antimicrobial technologies such as high pressure processing, pulsed light or precision UV, which offer different paths to the same intervention endpoint, the nature of plasma is highly dependent on the equipment used to produce it. This, in turn, has critical impacts on the predominant modes of action for inactivating pathogens, contaminants and spoilage organisms. This presentation will summarize the science behind cold plasma, describe the major classes of cold plasma generation equipment, their impact on efficacy and modes of action, and list critical factors related to development and validation of cold plasma.