Application of dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma in tuna preservation: Microbial community regulation and quality maintenance
Qingxin Guo, He Xue, Bing Chen, Zhongyuan Liu, Jiamei Wang, Haohao Shi, Aiguo Feng, Liming Zhang, Guanghua Xia, Shiyuan Dong
Abstract
Cold plasma (CP) is a promising non-thermal preservation method for microbial inactivation. However, excessively high discharge voltages may induce oxidative damage, making parameter optimization essential to balance sterilization efficacy and quality maintenance. In this study, tuna fillets were exposed to cold plasma at 30–70 kV for 3 min using a dielectric barrier discharge system. Microbial communities, physicochemical properties, and myofibrillar protein structures were analyzed via high-throughput sequencing, biochemical assays, and structural characterization. CP treatment selectively suppressed typical aquatic spoilage bacteria, such as Pseudomonas and Serratia genera . Among all tested voltages, the 50 kV treatment achieved the optimal trade-off—reducing total bacterial count and volatile basic nitrogen by 22.3 % and 19.5 % on day 9, extending shelf life by 3 days, and outperforming higher voltages in limiting lipid oxidation, preserving color, and maintaining protein integrity. These findings highlight the potential of optimized CP treatment parameters to improve quality and extend the shelf life of high-value, perishable aquatic products such as tuna.