Use plasma rays to remove bacteria in fruits

Scientists have found a way to sterilize blueberries without losing the flavor or nutrition of the fruit. It is only necessary to make blueberries through purple plasma, made from air and electricity, to ensure they are clean.

Fresh blueberries contain many vitamins and antioxidants but can also contain noroviruses - a common cause of human intestinal diseases from fresh foods. Today, scientists have found a way to sterilize blueberries without losing the flavor or nutrition of this fruit. It is only necessary to make blueberries through purple plasma, made from air and electricity, to ensure they are clean.

Blueberries contain many nutrients and are good for health.

Peter Bruggeman, a mechanical engineer at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, who is very interested in the study, said: "This is a very promising study, Plasma has an advantage over other sterilization technologies such as radiation. ultraviolet, because ionized gas can go to every corner to find norovirus hidden inside berries ".

To keep the product free of pathogens, processing companies must always ensure the quality of their washing water and ensure that their equipment is kept clean. In some cases, using fruit washing chemicals may leave a residue of toxic substances and not remove some harmful pathogens like norovirus. Just a few infected fruits can cause a serious outbreak.

Therefore, researchers have found many other preliminary methods, including plasma application research.Plasma is the fourth state of matter , created by breaking the bonds of gas molecules into a beam of charged particles of electrons and ions. Plasma is easily created by combining electrons and ions and they do not produce any waste.

Plasma is found in objects around us like: fluorescent lamps, Plasma TVs, lightning bolts, or even the Sun. Plasma has long been used in heavy industry to clean electronic chips and plastic fuses.

In a recent study, researchers bought blueberries at a grocery store and infected them with two viruses of the norovirus strain but were not infectious but were pathogens. Later, scientists placed blueberries under a cylindrical design and projected it with a purple plasma of oxygen and nitrogen - ionized substances.

Plasma purple helps with oxygen and nitrogen.

Brendan Niemira chaired the project, a microbiologist at the Eastern Center for Agricultural Research, US Department of Agriculture, in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania said: "More than 99.9% of both viruses die within 2 minutes. , the team will report in the next issue of the Food Microbiology magazine, which is really an effective measure for viruses. " In addition, previous research has shown that plasma has little effect on blueberries in terms of color, texture or flavor.

The principle of making plasma is to produce high temperatures , so researchers must ensure they don't damage blueberries. Thermostatic nozzles are added next to the coolers for Plasma. After solving the heat problem, Plasma rays sterilize fruit effectively. Tests showed: "Viruses are dying and they die slowly without more air".

"This purple light is very effective against many microorganisms," Niemira said. Neimira mentioned the success of previous research using plasma to kill all types of bacteria and fungi on products. Previously, the study used plasma made from argon and helium to disinfect food. Although it takes more energy to ionize the air than other rare gases, however, because of the atmosphere everywhere, it can be widely used and will also be more economical.

The researchers say that these plasma projectors require only one-fifth of the electricity needed to run a hair dryer. Niemira said his team worked to scale up the approach: "We are making it bigger, faster and more efficient."

Warning by Bala Balasubramaniam, a food safety engineer at Ohio State University in Columbus: "Scaling up plasma machines can pose great challenges. For example, plasma beams are shown for rows. hundreds of pounds are difficult because plasma will have to move through many layers of fruit, making it more difficult to contact every surface where the virus can hide. "

The group expects to expand the scale and productivity of this method in the future.

Until now, scientists are still not sure which plasma completely kills the germs, whether it's oxygen or nitrogen ions or other products like ozone, nitrous oxide. It is not simple, need to understand the mechanism and test it on real viruses.

By studying plasma, scientists hope to produce products for food processing plants in the next 3 to 5 years. The next step requires working with industrial partners to develop large-scale equipment that will convert small fruits to larger fruits.

What is Norovirus?

Norovirus.

Norovirus - strange enemy who is familiar

Norovirus is a germ that resides in the stomach that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, severe dehydration, and high fever. Like other viral infections, norovirus can make it harder to control blood sugar.

How long does Norovirus infection last?

Symptoms of infection usually disappear after a few days but can also last longer in some people.

What is the cause of Norovirus infection?

Norovirus is a virus that exists in the stomach, can be spread through contact with an infected person or through contaminated food, objects or surfaces.

Regular washing of hands, cleaning of surfaces and good hygiene can help prevent the virus from spreading.

What are the treatments for Norovirus infection?

There is no specific treatment to remove Norovirus, the body's immune system will be able to fight off the virus. It is important to prevent dehydration by drinking water regularly.

It is recommended to drink more than 6-8 glasses of water a day.