WE PROPOSE TO USE PLASMA-ACTIVATED WATER (PAW) AS A NOVEL SANITIZER TO INACTIVATE SALMONELLA DURING SHELL EGGS WASHING. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS AIMED AT DEVELOPING A NOVEL STRATEGY TO CONTROL PERSISTENT FOODBORNE PATHOGENS. CURRENT STRATEGIES USED TO CONTROL THE CONTAMINATION OF EGGS WITH SALMONELLA INVOLVE CHEMICAL SANITIZERS THAT CAN BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE QUALITY OF THE EGGSHELL AND TO THE ENVIRONMENT. PAW, A NOVEL SANITIZER GENERATED BY TREATING WATER WITH COLD PLASMA, RETAINS THE QUALITY OF EGGS AND IS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. WE WILL EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF PAW ON THE INACTIVATION OF SALMONELLA DURING EGG WASHING. PAW WILL BE GENERATED AND CHARACTERIZED IN TERMS OF REACTIVE NITROGEN SPECIES CONCENTRATION, ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY, OXIDATION-REDUCTION POTENTIAL, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE CONCENTRATION, AND PH. FRESH FARM SHELL EGGS WILL BE WASHED AND INOCULATED WITH PATHOGENIC SALMONELLA SEROVARS RELATED TO EGG-ASSOCIATED SALMONELLOSIS. IN ADDITION, A NON-PATHOGENIC SALMONELLA STRAIN AND ENTEROBACTER AEROGENES WILL BE VALIDATED AS POTENTIAL SURROGATES. THE EGG WASHING PROCESS FOR USE OF PAW WILL BE DESIGNED TO SIMULATE COMMERCIAL SPRAY-WASHING PRACTICES AND OPTIMIZED FOR EXPOSURE TIME, TEMPERATURE, AND NOZZLE TYPE/PRESSURE TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM INACTIVATION. WASHING WITH CONVENTIONAL SANITIZERS AND DISTILLED WATER WILL SERVE AS CONTROL TREATMENTS. COLOR, THE EXTENT OF CUTICLE LAYER COVERAGE, STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY, AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WASHED EGGSHELLS AND HAUGH UNIT, YOLK INDEX, AND SHELF-LIFE OF EGGS WILL BE MEASURED. WE ANTICIPATE THAT PAW WILL WORK AS AN EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SANITIZER FOR PATHOGEN CONTROL IN THE EGG INDUSTRY, WITHOUT ALTERING THE CUTICLE QUALITY AND THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE SHELL EGGS.