Abstract
Inactivating viable cells at very short application times has been studied using Ultra Low Frequency Plasma (ULFP) at one Kilo Hertz, using an RF source. The targeted fashion is to inactivate Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the absence and in the presence of magnetic field. Adding oxygen (O-2) to argon (Ar) in the discharge leads to a complete bacterial inactivation, where the inactivation rate increased as the concentration of O-2 increases. Analyses of the experimental data of the initial and final densities of viable cells, using survival curves, showed a dramatic inhibitory effect of plasma discharge to the residual survival of microbial ratio due to the influence of the magnetic field.