The efficacy of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) with ambient air as working gas for the degradation of selected mycotoxins was studied. Deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, enniatins, fumonisin B1, and T2 toxin produced by Fusarium spp., sterigmatocystin produced by Aspergillus spp. and AAL toxin produced by Alternaria alternata were used. The kinetics of the decay of mycotoxins exposed to plasma discharge was monitored. All pure mycotoxins exposed to CAPP were degraded almost completely within 60 s. Degradation rates varied with mycotoxin structure: fumonisin B1 and structurally related AAL toxin were degraded most rapidly while sterigmatocystin exhibited the highest resistance to degradation. As compared to pure compounds, the degradation rates of mycotoxins embedded in extracts of fungal cultures on rice were reduced to a varying extent. Our results show that CAPP efficiently degrades pure mycotoxins, the degradation rates vary with mycotoxin structure, and the presence of matrix slows down yet does not prevent the degradation. CAPP appears promising for the decontamination of food commodities with mycotoxins confined to or enriched on surfaces such as cereal grains.

Plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure using a dielectric barrier discharge was carried out to increase the surface hydrophilicity of wood and wood-based materials. Surface energy determination by contact angle measurement revealed an increase in the polar component of surface energy and in total surface energy following plasma treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the generation of polar groups and consequently an increase in O/C ratio. The feasibility of plasma polymerization on wooden substrates at atmospheric pressure to create water-repellent characteristics was also investigated. An atmospheric-pressure plasma jet using hexamethyldisiloxane as precursor and air as process gas was used for thin-layer deposition. Treatment parameters for the layer deposition were investigated, as well as the layer topography and chemical composition. Atomic force microscopy revealed a closed surface layer consisting of silicon, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen that exhibited low water permeability.

In this study, the adhesion properties of adhesives and paints on wood–plastic composites (WPCs) after plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure and ambient air were investigated. Surface energy det...

Article Plasma treatment of heat treated beech wood – investigation on surface free energy was published on July 1, 2008 in the journal Holzforschung (volume 62, issue 4).