A study was conducted to determine the effect of dielectric barrier discharge non-thermal plasma (DBD-NTP) on Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus populations on solid surfaces and in liquid suspensions. Our results showed that inactivation kinetics of S. typhimurium and S. aureus by DBD-NTP treatments can be well predicted with mathematical models. The survival curves of both S. typhimurium and S. aureus showed a log-linear phase followed by tailing behaviors on solid surfaces, and shoulder behaviors followed by a log-linear phase in liquid suspensions. The D values (decimal reduction time) for S. typhimurium and S. aureus in suspension were higher than those on solid surfaces (p < 0.05). Additionally, the maxima of sublethal injury values under low NaCl concentration and neutral pH condition were higher than those under high NaCl and low pH condition. In addition, mathematical modeling was evaluated to predict the final inactivation result for potential industrial applications. This study indicates that different microbial supporting matrices significantly influence the inactivation effect of DBD-NTP; it also provides useful information for future applications of NTP in enhancing food shelf life and safety.

Objectives: The effect of natural extracts on the oxidative quality of cold plasma (CP)-treated tilapia fillets during 9 d refrigerator storage was explored by adding mango and partridge tea extracts as natural antioxidants. Materials and Methods: The effects of mango and partridge tea extracts on the fish during storage were evaluated using the total viable count (TVC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), carbonyl values, and color. Results: The results showed that on the ninth day, the TVC of the mango extract (ME)-CP group was 3.52±0.08 log colony-forming units/g, which was significantly (P<0.05) lower than that of the other groups, while the TBARS of ME-CP and partridge tea extract (MOE)-CP was similar. The TVB-N values in the ME-CP and MOE-CP groups were 10.21±0.7 mg/100 g and 14.27±0.31 mg/100 g, respectively, which were within the acceptable values. The sulfhydryl and carbonyl contents in ME-CP were lower than those in MOE-CP; however, no significant variation was detected in texture. No significant changes were observed in the L* values among the treatment groups, while the b* values in the MOE-CP group were significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, the addition of ME combined with CP treatment can inhibit microbial growth, lipid oxidation, and protein oxidation in tilapia fillets without significantly impacting their color.