Cold plasma processing of powdered Spirulina algae for spore inactivation and preservation of bioactive compounds

Abstract Technologies for controlling microbial risks in a heat and humidity sensitive food powder are still limited. To preserve bioactive compounds while inactivating Bacillus subtilis spores in powdered Spirulina microalgae (Arthrospira platensis) with a non-thermal atmospheric plasma is the challenge presented in this paper. Artificially contaminated powder was treated with a custom-made surface micro-discharge cold atmospheric pressure plasma (SMD-CAPP) at the effective, specific surface energy of the plasma (Es) of 7–15 mW/cm2. The inactivation of spores in air plasma was faster than in nitrogen plasma. The final effect after 5 min exposure time of close to 2 log10 reduction could be …