Non Technical Summary
Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (the fourth state of matter) has shown effectiveness in food decontamination due to the presence of reactive species without leaving chemical residue. Our team has developed conformable surface dielectric barrier discharges (SDBD) electrodes for in-package plasma application that require less energy input. Our goal is to expand this technology by developing and testing cost-effective and energy-efficient SDBD plasma technology, expanding our previous work to diverse applications in food processing. We will create different plasma electrodes and test their efficacy in improving safety, quality, shelf-life, and nutrients in different foods (fresh produce, powdered foods, deli meat, fresh bakery) and safety in food-contact materials (stainless steel coupons, bottle caps). A low-cost power supply will be designed, and the electrodes' performance will be optimized through plasma characterization, feeding information back to the design. Throughout the project, an industry advisory board will be engaged to pave the way for food processing companies to adopt this technology.The complementary skills of our research team (food scientists, flexible electronic engineers, and plasma engineers) will ensure the successful execution of this project and provide a convenient and residue-free approach to food processing.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
501	1430	2020	34%
501	3260	1100	33%
501	3450	1010	33%

Knowledge Area
501 - New and Improved Food Processing Technologies;

Subject Of Investigation
1430 - Greens and leafy vegetables; 3260 - Poultry meat; 3450 - Milk;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering; 1100 - Bacteriology; 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;

Goals / Objectives
Our long-term goal is to leverage our interdisciplinary team's experience with flexible plasma electrodes to create cost-effective and energy-efficient conformable SDBD plasma systems for diverse applications in food processing that can be commercially viable.The specific objectives of our proposed research are to:Develop new layered electrodes and manufacturing processes for SDBDs to enable repeatable, predictable, and augmented production of plasma and chemical species for various food processing applications;Evaluate the efficacy of newly designed electrodes for their impact on microbial inactivation, shelf-life, nutrition, and quality parameters of various food products;Develop a small, cost-effective power supply and characterize plasma; andCollaborate with stakeholders to promote the potential commercialization of the technology

Project Methods
We will create different plasma electrodes and test their efficacy in improving safety, quality, shelf-life, and nutrients in different foods (fresh produce, powdered foods, deli meat, fresh bakery) and safety in food-contact materials (stainless steel coupons, bottle caps). A low-cost power supply will be designed, and the electrodes' performance will be optimized through plasma characterization, feeding information back to the design. Throughout the project, an industry advisory board will be engaged to pave the way for food processing companies to adopt this technology.