The open-source OxyFog system use-case study as an undergraduate education tool. We provided our system to Prof. Christopher Sales and his Ph.D. student Ms. Jinjie He for use in Drexel University’s STAR Scholar program. Below are the results of this study, performed by a Department of Biology undergraduate student Mr. Matthew Soesanto.

Plasma vs. Bacteria:
The Fight for Salmon Fillet

Utilizing Plasma-Activated Mist to Disinfect Salmon Tissue

Matthew Soesanto, Dr. Christopher Sales, Jinjie He

Abstract: Plasma is a rising technology in the field of food sanitization. The reactive species created by plasma, when mixed with a medium like mist, can be used to disrupt the cell structures of microbes, eventually inactivating them. The technology has the potential to be an alternative to current methods of food sanitization which sometimes involves adding potentially toxic chemicals, such as BHT and BHA.

Past research has shown plasma being tested on vegetables and fruits, displaying promising results as they reduce the bacterial presence on these specimens. However, plasma has not been tested on other food materials, such as meat.

The current research aimed to prove that plasma can reduce bacterial concentration in salmon tissue, a type of meat. A plasma chamber, OxyFog, was used to test three samples: Escherichia coli O157:H7 1) plated on agar, 2) on salmon, and 3) homogenized with salmon and plated on agar. When compared to untreated samples, the treated samples showed a decrease in E.coli concentration over increasing times of treatment. By diving deeper in this novel technology, methods in food sanitization may not only be safer, but also more efficient.

Download the PDF version of the poster.

Download the PDF of the microbiology protocol.