RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 High voltage atmospheric cold plasma technology as a food safety intervention for decontamination of cutting tools during ready-to-eat poultry meat slicing A1 Souza, Vanessa Rios de A1 Illera Gigante, Alba Ester A1 Keener, Kevin M. K1 Cutting tool K1 Knife K1 Cross-contamination K1 Meat industry K1 Ready-to-eat poultry products K1 Listeria innocua K1 High voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) K1 Tecnología de los alimentos K1 Microbiología K1 Microbiology AB This study aimed to build a prototype that integrates a cold plasma capability into a manual meat slicer while it is in operation to minimize cross-contamination from the circular cutting blade. A high voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) generator was attached to a meat slicer with a rotating 22.5-cm diameter stainless steel slicing blade. The meat slicer with the installed cold plasma generator was contained within a sealed, clear acrylic box. Listeria innocua (LI) was selected as the test organism, and initial testing was performed on stainless-steel coupons in room air at a relative humidity ranging from 30 to 90% for treatment times up to 240 s. Results found that 240 s and 90% RH showed a 3.0-log reduction of LI. These conditions were then replicated using “dirty” stainless-steel knife while rotating. The results showed only a 0.5-log LI reduction. The gas was changed from air to MA65 gas blend (65% O2, 30% CO2 and 5% N2) and then a 1.91 log LI reduction was achieved on the “dirty” knife.Industrial relevanceDue to the rapid processing speeds required in the food industry, it is difficult to assure the complete cleanliness of the tools and surfaces used at all times, and then, operations like the cutting /slicing step are still one of the critical points for cross-contamination during meat processing. High voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) is a practical intervention that has the potential to deliver a continuous, in-situ decontamination of the knife during operation to mitigate the risk of cross-contamination. The developed prototype, as shown in this study, can deliver beneficial results in short treatment time and with minimal inputs of air and electricity, without heating effects, minimizing the use of water, or the use of sanitizers. PB Elsevier SN 1466-8564 YR 2022 FD 2022-08 LK https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11350 UL https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11350 LA eng DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Burgos RD 29-abr-2026