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Abstract
Juices are important in providing essential nutrients and refreshment to consumers. To ensure consumer safety, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires processors to achieve at least 5-log CFU/ml reduction in the population of selected pathogen of concern in finished pasteurized products. Thermal pasteurization is a widely used method; however, it often compromises the sensory, nutritional, and functional properties of juices. In response to this challenge, the atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) method has gained attention as a promising alternative. This research explored the application of ACP treatment as a non-thermal technique to enhance the safety and quality of apple and cantaloupe juices. This novel approach seeks to address the limitations of traditional thermal pasteurization and minimize detrimental effects on juice quality. The study focuses on investigating the efficacy of ACP in reducing pathogenic bacteria while preserving the sensory attributes and nutritional value of juices. ACP achieved 5-log CFU/ml reduction for both acid-adapted and non-adapted E. coli K12 within 120 s, and E. coli O157:H7 within 90 s in apple juice. ACP protected bioactive compounds in apple and cantaloupe juices. ACP increased the presence of certain aroma-contributing volatiles, such as 1-hexanol, 1-butanol, 2-methyl acetate in apple juice, and hexanal, heptanal, nonanal, decanal, 1-heptanol, and 1-nonanol in cantaloupe juice. However, ACP also decreased the levels of some volatiles, including nonanoic acid, methyl nonanoate, and methyl decanoate, among others.