System and method for treatment of food with a gas
A system for treating food, the system including: a direct barrier discharge system including a pair of electrodes separated by a gap of at least 0.5 cm, wherein the direct barrier discharge system is configured to provide a feed gas between the electrodes, wherein the feed gas includes nitrogen and water, wherein a content of nitrogen in the feed gas is at least 75 vol % based on a total volume of the feed gas, and a relative humidity of the feed gas is at least 50% RH, wherein a content of oxygen in the feed gas is less than 1.5 vol % based on a total volume of the feed gas, and wherein the direct barrier discharge system is configured to provide an electric potential between the electrodes to generate a working gas having an ozone content of less than 20 ppm, based on a total volume of the working gas.
1. A system, comprising:
at least one gas supply, the at least one gas supply collectively configured to produce a feed gas that includes at least 75 vol % nitrogen and less than 1.5 vol % oxygen;
a humidifier configured to humidify the feed gas to at least a 50% relative humidity (RH);
a gas inlet configured to provide the feed gas between a pair of electrodes; and
a voltage source coupled to the pair of electrodes, the voltage source configured to apply an electric potential between the pair of electrodes, causing a reaction with the feed gas to generate a working gas having an ozone content of less than 20 ppm.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pair of electrodes is disposed in a chamber, a ratio of the pair of electrode area to chamber volume is greater than 0.005 cm −1 .
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source is configured to provide an electric potential of at least 30 kV per centimeter gap between the pair of electrodes.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas supply is further configured to produce the feed gas including 0 vol % to 30 vol % carbon dioxide.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas supply is further configured to produce the feed gas including 5 vol % to 20 vol % carbon dioxide.
6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a food between the electrodes.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source is configured to operate at 20 kV to 500 kV.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the voltage source is configured to operate at a frequency of less than 500 kHz.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the voltage source is configured to operate at a frequency of 30 Hz to 120 kHz.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas supply includes a nitrogen gas supply.
11. The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one gas supply includes a nitrogen gas supply and a carbon dioxide gas supply.
12. A system for treating a food, the system comprising:
at least one gas supply, the at least one gas supply collectively configured to produce a feed gas with less than 3 vol % oxygen;
a humidifier configured to humidify the feed gas to at least a 20% relative humidity (RH);
a gas inlet configured to provide the feed gas between a pair of electrodes, the pair of electrodes disposed in a chamber,
a ratio of an area of the pair of electrodes to a volume of the chamber is greater than 0.005 cm −1 ; and
a voltage source coupled to the pair of electrodes, the voltage source configured to apply an electric potential between the pair of electrodes, causing a reaction with the feed gas to generate a working gas having an ozone content of less than 4000 ppm.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the pair of electrodes are separated by a gap between 0.5 cm to 4 cm.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one gas supply is configured to produce the feed gas that includes between 100 ppm to 3 vol % oxygen.
15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the humidifier is further configured to humidify the feed gas to 20% RH to 99% RH.
16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the voltage source is configured to provide an electric potential of 30 kV to 120 kV between the pair of electrodes.
17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the voltage source is configured to provide an electric potential of at least 30 kV per centimeter gap between the pair of electrodes.
18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one gas supply is further configured to produce the feed gas including carbon dioxide.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the at least one gas supply is configured to produce the feed gas including at least 5 vol % carbon dioxide.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one gas supply is configured to produce the feed gas including 5 vol % to 20 vol % carbon dioxide.
21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one gas supply is configured to produce the feed gas including 25 vol % to 35 vol % carbon dioxide, based on a total volume of the nitrogen, the oxygen, and the carbon dioxide in the feed gas.
22. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a food between the electrodes.
23. The system of claim 12 , wherein the voltage source is configured to operate at 20 kV to 500 kV.
24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the voltage source is configured to operate at a frequency of less than 500 kHz.
25. The system of claim 24 , wherein the voltage source is configured to operate at a frequency of 30 Hz to 120 kHz.
26. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one gas supply includes a nitrogen gas supply.
27. The system of claim 18 , wherein the at least one gas supply includes a nitrogen gas supply.