AUTHOR=Wang Lang-Hong , Chen Lin , Zhao Siqi , Huang Yanyan , Zeng Xin-An , Aadil Rana Muhammad 

TITLE=Inactivation efficacy and mechanisms of atmospheric cold plasma on Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris: Insight into the influence of growth temperature on survival

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1012901

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2022.1012901

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p>The bactericidal effect of dielectric barrier discharge-atmospheric cold plasma (DBD-ACP, 20, and 30 kV) against <italic>Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris</italic> on the saline solution and apple juice was investigated. Results show that DBD-ACP is effective for the inactivation of <italic>A. acidoterrestris</italic> by causing significant changes in cell membrane permeability and bacterial morphology. The effect of culture temperatures on the resistance of <italic>A. acidoterrestris</italic> to DBD-ACP was also studied. <italic>A. acidoterrestris</italic> cells grown at 25°C had the lowest resistance but it was gradually increased as the culture temperature was increased (25–45°C) (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, results from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis showed that the increase in the culture temperature can gradually cause the decreased level of cyclohexaneundecanoic acid in the cell membrane of <italic>A. acidoterrestris</italic> (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). In contrast, cyclopentaneundecanoic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid showed an increasing trend in which the fluidity of the bacterial cell membrane decreased. This study shows a specific correlation between the resistance of <italic>A. acidoterrestris</italic> and the fatty acid composition of the cell membrane to DBD-ACP.</p>