Abstract: Objective: The goal of this study was to test the efficacy of cold plasma (CP) for microbial decontamination of blueberries and to investigate the influence of CP on the storage quality of blueberries. Methods: “Brilliant” blueberries were treated with atmospheric CP generated with a 45 kV dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) generator for 50 s. Microbial populations on blueberries, quality indexes and antioxidant enzyme activities were assessed every two days during a storage period of 8 days (20 ℃, 85% RH). Results: Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and yeast/mold counts were effectively decreased by 1.75 (lg(CFU/g)) and 1.77 (lg(CFU/g)) after cold plasma treatment, respectively. Meanwhile, cold plasma treatment positively affected the quality of blueberries by reducing decay incidence, maintaining fruit firmness and VC content, preventing the increase of titratable acidity at the late stage of storage and increasing the antioxidant enzyme activities. Other qualitative parameters for antioxidant ability were only slightly affected by the treatment. Conclusion: Cold plasma can reduce decay incidence on blueberries. Furthermore, it can induce the antioxidant enzyme activities and improve the storage quality of blueberries.

Key words: cold plasma, blueberry, microbial decontamination, postharvest quality, storage