Session: 04-07-01: Material Processing of Flexible/Emerging Electronics, Sensors, and Devices

Paper Number: 173594

Advancing Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Devices for In-Package Sanitization of Fresh Produce Using Cold Plasma 

Cold atmospheric plasma (CP) generated through surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) presents an approach to ensure food safety by enabling non-thermal microbial inactivation directly within food packaging. This method uses atmospheric air and low electrical power to produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), avoiding the use of added chemicals or high temperatures. Building upon earlier efforts to demonstrate CP’s effectiveness on produce surfaces [1], the present work explores the integration of SDBD devices into flexible and transparent packaging materials. These devices are composed of stacked conductive and dielectric layers arranged to conform to the shape of produce items while allowing visibility of the internal contents. Prototype designs include conformable transparent PET-based enclosures. However, the manual assembly of these multilayer devices has introduced performance inconsistencies, such as uneven plasma generation due to air gaps, crumpling, or layer misalignment. These limitations motivate further development to improve reproducibility, efficiency, and manufacturability of the packaging-integrated plasma devices.
This work aims to understand the intersection of plasma physics, food science, and manufacturing processes to develop sustainable methods for sanitizing packaged food products using low-temperature plasma. To improve manufacturing quality and ensure consistent device performance, key feedback parameters, including electrical impedance, ozone concentration, RONS levels, optical emission spectroscopy, and imaging of plasma extent, are being evaluated as tools for post-assembly process control.
Efforts to improve assembly reproducibility are expected to reduce dead zones and enhance plasma uniformity. Impedance and ozone measurements are being established as reliable quality control tools for post-fabrication assessment. Spectroscopic diagnostics and electrical signal analysis are being employed to quantify plasma behaviour, reduced electric fields, and RONS generation over time [2]. Material improvements in electrode patterning and dielectric selection aim to extend device lifetime while maintaining food-safe packaging compatibility.
This research has significant implications for food processors, packaging designers, and consumers concerned with food safety and sustainability. By embedding cold plasma technology directly into food packaging, this approach could reduce reliance on chemical sanitizers, extend shelf life, and improve consumer confidence. SDBD-enabled packaging offers a commercially viable solution for fresh produce sanitization, delivering both environmental and economic benefits in the food supply chain.

 

References

[1]       Q. Wang et al., “Cold plasma from flexible and conformable paper-based electrodes for fresh produce sanitation: Evaluation of microbial inactivation and quality changes,” Food Control, vol. 137, p. 108915, 2022.

[2]       D. Trosan, P. Walther, S. McLaughlin, D. Salvi, A. Mazzeo, and K. Stapelmann, “Analysis of the effects of complex electrode geometries on the energy deposition and temporally and spatially averaged electric field measurements of surface dielectric barrier discharges,” Plasma Processes and Polymers, vol. 21, no. 2, p. 2300133, 2024.

 

Presenting Author: Aaron Mazzeo Rutgers University

Presenting Author Biography: Aaron Mazzeo is an Associate Professor and Aerospace Engineering Undergraduate Director in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Prior to joining the faculty at Rutgers, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, and he completed his undergraduate (S.B.) and graduate degrees (S.M. and Ph.D.) at MIT. The Mazzeo Research Group, or Rutgers Lab for Machines, Manufacturing, and Mechatronics, focuses on flexible and disposable electronics for mechanical and biological sensing, elastic robotics, cold plasma-based processing, scrubbing and cleaning, and in-space manufacturing. Aaron has received an NSF CAREER Award, NASA MSFC Summer Faculty Fellowships, an A. Walter Tyson Assistant Professorship Award through the School of Engineering, a Rutgers Engineering Governing Council’s (EGC) Professor-of-the-Year Award, a Rutgers EGC Teaching Award in Excellence, and a Rutgers Presidential Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. He was also a Faculty Fellow with the Rutgers-New Brunswick Honors College, where he and his family resided.

Authors:

Aaron Mazzeo Rutgers University
Praj Patel Rutgers University
Neil Mandar Rutgers University
Preisha Mishra Rutgers University
Duncan Trosan North Carolina State University
Dushyanth Kumar North Carolina State University
Suneel Kumar Rutgers University
Katherina Stapelmann North Carolina State University
Francois Berthiume Rutgers University
Deepti Salvi North Carolina State University