Inactivation Efficacies and Mechanisms of Gas Plasma and Plasma-Activated Water against Aspergillus flavus Spores and Biofilms: a Comparative Study

Abstract

The production of mycotoxin-free food remains a challenge in both human and animal food chains. A. flavus , a mycotoxin-producing contaminant of economically important crops, was selected as the model microorganism to investigate the efficiency and mechanisms of ACP technology against fungal contaminants of food. Our study directly compares the antifungal properties of gas plasma (GP) and plasma-activated water (PAW) against fungi as well as reporting the effects of ACP treatment on biofilms produced by A. flavus .