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Journal of Animal Science and Technology
Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology

J Anim Sci Technol

pISSN: 2672-0191, eISSN: 2055-0391

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5187/jast.2600125

Research Article

Effect of Dielectric Filter Discharge Plasma on the Inactivation of Aerosolized Pathogens Associated with Edible Insects

So Eun Yeo1, Ki Ho Baek2, Joo Young Park2, Hyun Uk Cho1, Seohyeon Jeon1, Hyun Jung Lee3, Minsu Kim3, Seunghun Lee2,*, Hae In Yong1,**
1Department of Animal Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea.
2Advanced Bio and Healthcare Materials Research Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 51508, Korea.
3Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
*Corresponding Author: Seunghun Lee, Advanced Bio and Healthcare Materials Research Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 51508, Korea, Republic of. E-mail: seunghun@kims.re.kr .
**Corresponding Author: Hae In Yong, Department of Animal Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea, Republic of. E-mail: yonghaein@cnu.ac.kr.

© Copyright 2026 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Apr 03, 2026; Revised: Apr 29, 2026; Accepted: May 22, 2026

Published Online: May 27, 2026

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal disinfection treatment conditions of dielectric filter discharge (DFD) plasma against aerosolized pathogens relevant to edible insect-rearing environments. Bacillus thuringiensis, Serratia marcescens, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 are representative pathogens that can occur in edible insect-rearing environments. This study employed a treatment scheme in which plasma was applied during nebulization to treat aerosolized pathogens, after collection to treat filter-attached pathogens, or sequentially to both (overall pathogens). Negligible or minimal bactericidal effects were observed when DFD plasma was applied to aerosolized or filter-attached pathogens for 2 min. However, continuous treatment of both for 2 min each (a total of 4 min) resulted in significant inactivation, and longer treatment times (10 min) for filter-attached pathogens further enhanced the bactericidal effect (2.6~3.4 Log CFU/cm² reduction). No bactericidal effect was observed during storage after DFD plasma was turned off. Consequently, the highest bactericidal effect was obtained when DFD plasma was applied to aerosolized pathogens for 2 min, followed by an additional 10 min of treatment with filter-attached pathogens. These results indicate the potential use of DFD plasma for disinfecting aerosolized pathogens in edible insect-rearing environments.

Keywords: aerosolized pathogens; bacterial inactivation; cold plasma; edible insect