Effect of plasma on ochratoxin degradation and raisin properties

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of gas-phase surface discharge plasma in degrading ochratoxin A (OTA) and assess the impact on the quality of raisins. The plasma discharge voltage was found to significantly influence the degradation rate, with residual percentages of 28.69% and 16.38% after 10 min of treatment with 15 and 18 kV plasma, respectively. No ochratoxin was detected after 10 min of 21 kV plasma treatment. The degradation rate of OTA in raisins slowed down, and the complete degradation took 15 min. Liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry analysis revealed that OTA was degraded into nontoxic phenylalanine. Importantly, plasma treatment did not significantly affect the moisture, titratable acidity, total sugar, ascorbic acid, color parameters, or aroma of raisins ( P >= 0.05). Therefore, gas-phase surface discharge plasma treatment proved effective in degrading OTA in raisins while preserving their quality.