This research aimed to evaluate the impact of atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) treatment on the fungal spores naturally present in sundried tomatoes, as well as their influence on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity. ACP was performed with a Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge (SDBD), applying 6 kV at 23 kHz and exposure times up to 30 min. The results showed a significant reduction of mesophilic aerobic bacteria population and of filamentous fungi after the longer ACP exposure. In particular, the effect of the treatment was assessed on Aspergillus rugulovalvus (as sensible strain) and Aspergillus niger (as resistant strain). The germination of the spores was observed to be reliant on the species, with nearly 88% and 32% of non-germinated spores for A. rugulovalvus and A. niger, respectively. Fluorescence probes revealed that ACP affects spore viability promoting strong damage to the wall and cellular membrane. For the first time, the sporicidal effect of ACP against A. rugulovalvus is reported. Physicochemical parameters of sundried tomatoes such as pH and water activity (aw) were not affected by the ACP treatment; on the contrary, the antioxidant activity was not affected while the lycopene content was significantly increased with the increase in ACP exposure time (p ≤ 0.05) probably due to increased extractability.

Influence of Atmospheric Cold Plasma Exposure on Naturally Present Fungal Spores and Physicochemical Characteristics of Sundried Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Tappi S.
Writing – Review & Editing
;
2022

Abstract

This research aimed to evaluate the impact of atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) treatment on the fungal spores naturally present in sundried tomatoes, as well as their influence on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity. ACP was performed with a Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge (SDBD), applying 6 kV at 23 kHz and exposure times up to 30 min. The results showed a significant reduction of mesophilic aerobic bacteria population and of filamentous fungi after the longer ACP exposure. In particular, the effect of the treatment was assessed on Aspergillus rugulovalvus (as sensible strain) and Aspergillus niger (as resistant strain). The germination of the spores was observed to be reliant on the species, with nearly 88% and 32% of non-germinated spores for A. rugulovalvus and A. niger, respectively. Fluorescence probes revealed that ACP affects spore viability promoting strong damage to the wall and cellular membrane. For the first time, the sporicidal effect of ACP against A. rugulovalvus is reported. Physicochemical parameters of sundried tomatoes such as pH and water activity (aw) were not affected by the ACP treatment; on the contrary, the antioxidant activity was not affected while the lycopene content was significantly increased with the increase in ACP exposure time (p ≤ 0.05) probably due to increased extractability.
2022
Molina-Hernandez J.B.; Laika J.; Peralta-Ruiz Y.; Palivala V.K.; Tappi S.; Cappelli F.; Ricci A.; Neri L.; Chaves-Lopez C.
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2022 Molina-Hernandez plasma sundried tomatoes.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipo: Versione (PDF) editoriale
Licenza: Licenza per Accesso Aperto. Creative Commons Attribuzione (CCBY)
Dimensione 805.93 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
805.93 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/893564
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 3
  • Scopus 13
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 12
social impact