investigating the effect of cold plasma on some chemical properties of date fruits (phoenix dactylifera l.)

In order to investigate the effect of atmospheric cold plasma on some chemical characteristics of date fruits, mazafati variety, in storage conditions, cold plasma was applied to the samples using a sliding rotary arc discharge device. the independent variables in this study were plasma application duration in 5 levels (30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 s) and different gases in 3 types (air, argon and oxygen). then, some chemical properties including weight loss percentage, ph and acidity, total soluble solids, total phenolic compounds, and reducing sugar were measured. the experiments were conducted in the form of a factorial design based on complete randomized design. the results showed a significant decrease in the weight of the samples treated with plasma compared to the control samples, during the storage period. the effect of cold plasma on mazafati date fruits showed a decrease in ph, and an increase in total soluble solids during the storage period. the average value of total phenolic compounds was the lowest value for the samples treated with oxygen gas (2182 mg/kg) and the highest value for the samples treated with argon gas (4007 mg/kg) with plasma treatment time of 240 s. the values of reducing sugar were 38.76 % at the lowest and 65.54 % at the highest amounts, for the control and the samples treated with air with a plasma treatment time of 240 s, respectively.