Inactivation of Campylobacter jejuni using Radio-frequency Atmospheric Pressure Plasma on Agar Plates and Chicken Hams

Radio-frequency driven atmospheric pressure plasma using argon gas was studied in the inactivation of Campylobacter jejuni in order to investigate its applicability. First, the inactivation study was conducted on an agar surface. C. jejuni NCTC11168 was reduced by more than 7 Log CFU after an 88 s treatment. Another strain, ATCC49943, was studied; however, the inactivation was less efficient, with a 5 Log CFU reduction after a 2 min treatment. Then, chicken breast ham was studied at the 10(6) CFU inoculation level. The inactivation efficiency was much lower for both strains compared to that on the agar plates. C. jejuni NCTC11168 and ATCC49943 were reduced by 3 Log CFU after a 6 min treatment and by 1.5 Log CFU after a 10 min treatment, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated that C. jejuni cells were deformed or transformed into coccoid form under the plasma treatment. During the plasma treatment, the temperature of the samples did not rise above 43 degrees C, suggesting that heat did not contribute to the inactivation. Meanwhile, water activity significantly decreased after a 10 min treatment (p < 0.05). This study conveyed that radio-frequency atmospheric pressure plasma can effectively inactivate C. jejuni with strain-specific variation.