Bactericidal efficacy of plasma-activated water against on .

In this study, the antimicrobial mechanism of plasma-activated water (PAW) against and the effectiveness of PAW in artificially contaminated were investigated. The results demonstrated a significant reduction ( < 0.05) in viable counts of with increasing plasma discharge time (5, 10, 20, and 30 min) and PAW immersion time (3, 5, 10, 20, and 30 s). Specifically, the count of decreased by 2.1, 2.7, 3.3, and 4.4 log CFU/mL after exposed to PAW 5, PAW 10, PAW 20, and PAW 30 for 30 s, respectively. Significant cell surface wrinkling, accompanied by notable nucleic acid and protein leakage were observed after treatment with PAW. The permeability of the inner and outer cell membranes was significantly increased ( < 0.05), along with an increase in electrical conductivity ( < 0.05). The reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells were significantly increased ( < 0.05), while superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and the relative expression of the , , and genes were significantly decreased ( < 0.05). A reduction number of 1.3, 1.8, 2.1, and 2.2 log CFU/g of in artificially contaminated was obtained with PAW for 5 min. The study elucidated that PAW could destroy cell membranes, leading to cell death. The findings would strengthen strategies for control and provide a potential application of PAW for preserving aquatic products.