Treatment of Microorganisms in Vegetables and Fruits by Gliding Arc

In this study, we constructed a gliding arc to investigate the treatment of microor- ganisms in vegetables and fruits at atmospheric pressure using the microorganism Erwinia caro- tovora subsp. carotovora. The gliding arc was driven by direct current (DC) voltage between two knife-shaped electrodes. The treatment of potatoes using this method was effective against this pathogen. The disinfection duration was a few seconds, which is rather fast, with no overheating. The use of a thermal image sensor enabled us to determine the percentage of the concentration of individual temperatures in the arc region. Using this method, we were able to identify thermal and nonthermal regions of the arc. The temperature increase of the potatoes during plasma treatment by gliding arc at atmospheric pressure was only few degrees above room temperature, assuring a mild treatment of biomaterials.