Plasma-Activated Water Treatment of Fresh Beef: Bacterial Inactivation and Effects on Quality Attributes

Nonthermal plasma has been widely considered as an effective method for bacterial inactivation in food safety. In this paper, the preservation of fresh beef was investigated using plasma-activated water (PAW) with different treatment time intervals ranging from 6 to 192 h. The effects of PAW on fresh beef preservation were evaluated with the microbial counts on the surface of fresh beef and its quality attributes. The bactericidal efficiency of PAW on fresh beef was found to be strongly dependent on the PAW treatment intervals and storage time. Results show that 24-h PAW treatment could achieve a reduction around 3.1 log for bacteria on the surface of fresh beef at 24-day storage and effectively extend the shelf life of fresh beef for four to six days. Moreover, when the PAW treatment interval time was greater than or equal to 24 h, there did not exist any significant changes in the quality attributes of fresh beef. Meanwhile, the overtreatment of PAW also had a negative effect on beef quality. In conclusion, the PAW could be a promising alternative to the traditional sanitizers applied in the fresh produce industry.