Journal of Food Processing and Preservation ISSN 1745-4549

ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYING OF POTASSIUM SORBATE FOR THE

REDUCTION OF YEAST AND MOLDS ON CAKES
WILLIAM L. KERR1,3 and CLARK A. KERR2
1
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
2
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

3
Corresponding author. ABSTRACT
TEL: +1-706-542-1085;
FAX: +1-706-542-1050; Electrostatic spraying (ES) was tested as a means of improving shelf life of cup-
EMAIL: wlkerr@uga.edu cakes. A 5% potassium sorbate solution was sprayed, with and without electro-
static charging, onto yellow cupcakes for 1–3 s. Image analyses showed that
Received for Publication October 11, 2014
electrostatic charging increased the uniformity of coverage, with 62–78% area
Accepted for Publication January 21, 2015
coverage with charging and 36–41% without. Samples were also held at 25C and
doi:10.1111/jfpp.12461 either 75 or 85% relative humidity (RH). At 75% RH, visible mold appeared after
10 days for control and after 11 days for cakes sprayed with sorbate. At 85% RH,
fungal growth appeared after 3 days for control, 4 days for cakes with sorbate
spray and 5 days for those with ES sorbate. In all cases, ES delayed the onset of
mold and subsequent growth as compared with uncharged sprays. ES also pro-
vided a small decrease in the rate of firmness development during storage.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Substantial quantities of breads, cakes and other baked goods suffer a loss of
quality or must be discarded because of contamination by yeast and molds. While
some ingredient and processing technologies exist to extend the shelf life of baked
goods, there is much room for improvement. This research examines the use of
electrostatic charging to improve adhesion and coverage of antimicrobial sprays.
The results indicate that electrostatic charging of potassium sorbate solutions
improves overall surface coverage, slows the onset of microbial growth and limits
subsequent growth compared with conventionally applied sprays.

changes may occur in high-fat items, most notably lipid oxi-

INTRODUCTION
Baked goods comprise an important part of many diets in
the world. Historically, people have combined cereal grains
with water and various other ingredients, and through
baking transformed these into a cohesive, semisolid and fla-
vorful food (Smith et al. 2004). Depending on the type of
flour, protein content and amount of fat, sugar and other
ingredients added, various products can be produced
including breads, cookies, crackers or cakes. Sales of baked
goods throughout the world are considerable topping $30
billion in the U.S.A., $2.3 billion in Canada and $3.5 billion
in the United Kingdom (Beckett 2012; WWU Center for
Economic Vitality 2011). In the category of sweet goods,
cakes and muffins enjoy considerable sales.
Extending the shelf life of cakes and other bakery items is
of considerable importance to the industry. Some chemical
dation, but these are limited and can be controlled by anti-
oxidants or modified atmosphere packaging (Toyosaki and
Koketsu 2007; Lu et al. 2010). Staling and the concomitant
loss in moisture and increase in firmness are significant
problems for baked goods. With bread, staling results in an
estimated 3% return rate (Zobel and Kulp 1996). The
mechanisms of staling are complex, but involve the migra-
tion of water from crumb to crust, as well as from starch to
gluten, along with recrystallization of starch (Zobel and
Kulp 1996; Schiraldi and Fessas 2010). Problems with
staling are often ameliorated with the addition of emulsifi-
ers such as sodium stearoyl lactylate or mono- and
diglycerides, hydrocolloid gums or enzymes that break
down amylopectin (Boyle and Hebeda 1990).
Several bakery products are rich in nutrients and are also
high moisture foods, with Aw > 0.85. In some baked goods,

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 39 (2015) 2171–2179 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 2171
ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYING OF CAKES
bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis can be a problem, leading to
“ropiness.” Cakes are often intermediate moisture foods,
with Aw between 0.75 and 0.90 (Seiler 1988), and are suscep-
tible to xerophilic yeasts and molds (Beuchat and Hocking
1990; Fustier et al. 1998). Yeast can form on the surface of
cakes and lead to fermentative spoilage (Legan and Voysey
1991). Typical species include Candida guilliermondii, Pichia
burtonii, Hansenula anomala and Debaryomyces hansenii.
Molds are perhaps even more problematic, leading to losses
of up to 1 to 5% (Smith et al. 2004). Most common are
species of Eurotium, Aspergillus and Penicillium (Abellana
et al. 1997).
During baking, temperatures are sufficiently high to
destroy microorganisms. Contamination occurs during sub-
sequent processing and several strategies have developed to
limit it or prevent subsequent growth. Insistence on sanitary
conditions and expedient packaging can help control
microbial contamination. Research has also shown that
modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) can be effective, in
which the product is placed in a sealed package that retains
a gaseous environment that reduces microbial growth. For
example, Abellana et al. (2000) showed that higher levels of
CO2, and lower O2, increased the lag phase and decreased
growth rates of Eurotium herbariorum on sponge cake. The
growth of MAP processes has coincided with the develop-
ment of new packaging materials that can maintain the
MAP environment, including polyvinylidene chloride, eth-
ylene vinyl alcohol and laminates (Robertson 2013). Some
studies have also examined the use of radiation to control
surface organisms. These methods include ultraviolet light
(Bintsis et al. 2000), infrared radiation (Seiler 1968), high-
frequency microwave radiation (Lakins et al. 2008), low-
dose gamma irradiation (Grecz et al. 1985) and pulsed-light
techniques (Oms-Oliu et al. 2010). All have shown some
success in limiting mold growth, however, costs, lack of
compatible packaging materials and changes in the product
have limited their wide-scale use.
Among formulation approaches, ingredients can be used
to reduce water activity or lower pH. This often comes at
some compromise to the desired properties of the product.
Thus, many manufacturers resort to antimicrobial agents to
control yeast and molds, and occasionally bacteria. These
compounds include propionic acid and propionate salts,
potassium sorbate, sodium diacetate, methylparaben,
sodium benzoate and acetic acid (FDA 2012). Propionic
acid and propionates have been used to control mold and
B. subtilis, but are not active against yeast, so are more
useful in yeast-raised products (Stratford and Eklund 2003;
Seetaramaiah et al. 2011). Sorbates are effective against
yeast, molds and B. subtilis, and work best for foods with
pH of 5–6. While having greater antimicrobial activity than
propionates, they are not useful for direct incorporation in
yeast-leavened products. Sodium benzoate can also inhibit
2172 Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 39 (2015) 2171–2179 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
W.L. KERR and C.A. KERR
yeast and mold, but is most effective at pH 2.5–4.0.
Parabens have shown even more broad-spectrum activity,
inhibiting molds, yeast and bacteria, but can break down at
alkaline pH. With consumer concerns about “chemical pre-
servatives,” other naturally occurring substances have been
researched to determine their antimicrobial effects in baked
goods and other products. Ethanol has been found to delay
mold growth in pound cake (Alvarez et al. 2010). Nisin,
produced by Lactococcus lactis, has gathered considerable
attention as a potential natural preservative. While it has
been tested as an antimicrobial in some baked goods, it is
primarily effective against gram-positive bacteria (Xiao
et al. 2007). Natamycin, an antifungal agent produced by
Streptomyces natalensis, has been found to help prevent
mold growth when applied as a spray on baked goods
(Delves-Broughton et al. 2010).
Preservatives may be incorporated into baked goods or
applied as a surface spray. In some cases, allowable levels are
specified; e.g., sodium benzoate and methylparaben can
only be used at levels below 0.1% (FDA 2012). Sorbic acid
and sorbates are typically used at 0.03 to 0.125% of the
batter weight in cakes and pies (Pyler and Gorton 2008).
When topical sprays are applied to finished cakes, 1–6%
sorbate solutions are typically used, with the recognition
that very little is incorporated into the interior of the
product. In addition, sorbates can be used in yeast-leavened
products by spraying a solution on the surface after it exits
the oven (Saranraj and Geetha 2012). This helps concen-
trate the preservative on the surface, where mold contami-
nation is most likely. Sprays can be applied by centrifugal
atomizers, in which a spinner disperses fine droplets on to
the surface of the product. Alternately, the preservative solu-
tion can be forced through an atomizer, as through a high-
volume low-pressure system.
One drawback to these systems is overspray, i.e., the
liquid preservative may be dispersed in areas other than that
of the product. For example, during application of pesti-
cides to crops, it has been estimated that up to 60–70% of
the deposited material is off-target (Law 2001). In addition,
sprays do not always provide an even distribution of drop-
lets over the total area of the target. During the 20th
century, it was recognized that benefit can be attained by
charging atomized particles so that they would be attracted
to an oppositely charged or neutral surface (Matthews 1989;
Law 2001). These “electrostatic spray” systems were devel-
oped in which the particles, either solid or liquid, were
charged by one of several mechanisms. Many advances were
made, e.g., in the application of pesticides to agricultural
crops (Wampler and Hoskins 1939) or paint to a variety of
surfaces (Ransburg 1954). Several methods exist for charg-
ing a spray liquid. In direct (or contact) charging methods, a
semi-conductive liquid encounters the electrode directly in
the fluid stream, at a potential difference of 15–85 kV
W.L. KERR and C.A. KERR
(Coffee 1980). The charge enters the liquid and helps break
it up into droplets. Although it is used successfully on many
types of sprayers, direct charging is less effective on noncon-
ducting liquid materials. In ionized field (corona) charging,
an intense voltage (∼70 kV) is applied to a needle tip, pro-
ducing an electric potential that creates ions in the sur-
rounding air (Arnold et al. 1984). If a stream of liquid
passes near the corona tip, it will pick up ions and become
charged. With induction charging, the liquid does not
directly contact the electrode, but rather charge is induced
in it. This can be a less expensive, although less efficient,
means of imparting charge and there is less chance that the
charge will conduct back through the grounded fluid.
Law (2001) developed an induction method in which a
spray nozzle incorporates an embedded electrode, while fine
droplets are created by an atomizing air stream. The coaxial
electrode is positioned ∼1.3 mm from the liquid stream and
with a relatively low electric potential (0.5–1.5 kV) can
induce a charge in the droplets. This hybrid method pro-
vides the penetration and coverage afforded by an aerody-
namic spray, coupled with attractive forces between the
charged liquid spray and the target surface. This type of
electrostatic spraying (ES) system has been shown to be very
useful in the applications of agricultural sprays, providing
more complete coverage with less liquid volume. For
example, ES has been used to apply captan (a fungicide) to
commercial strawberry plants (Giles and Blewett 1991),
permethrin (an insecticide) to greenhouse-grown chrysan-
themums (Giles et al. 1992), pesticides into cotton canopies
(Dai et al. 1992), TalstarOne (an insecticide) to bushes
(Snell and Weiner 2005) and antifungal agents (B. subtilis)
to blueberry flowers (Law and Scherm 2005).
ES methods have also been used to sanitize or sterilize
contaminated surfaces. Dow (2008) used electrosprayed
quaternary ammonium compounds to reduce biofilms on
ceramic tile, plastic wallboard, polypropylene conveyor belts
and stainless steel. Russell (2001) showed that electrolyzed
oxidative water, applied with an electrostatic sprayer, was
effective at eliminating pathogenic bacteria from the surface
of eggs. Lyons et al. (2011) studied the use of charged sprays
of peracetic acid and quaternary ammonium compounds to
sanitize stainless steel smokehouse walls. They found that
the electrostatic sprays could be applied at a reduced rate
compared with hydraulic sprays to obtain equivalent reduc-
tions of Salmonella.
There are a few examples in which electrostatic sprays
have been applied directly to food surfaces. Ganesh et al.
(2012) used electrospraying of inorganic acids, (malic, tar-
taric and lactic acids) to reduce Escherichia coli O157:H7 on
spinach and iceberg lettuce. Massey et al. (2013) found that
electrosprayed inorganic acids were more effective at reduc-
ing Escherichia coli O157:H7 on cantaloupe cubes than
noncharged sprays. Oils and solid particles have also been
Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 39 (2015) 2171–2179 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYING OF CAKES
applied using ES. Aykas and Barringer (2014) showed that
oils could be more effectively sprayed on snack foods using
electrostatic atomization, although the coverage depended
on temperature, the induced voltage and the levels of leci-
thin incorporated in the oil. Halim and Barringer (2007)
used an electrostatic powder-coating unit to apply granu-
lated sugar to potato chips, crackers, pork rind and white
bread. They found that electrostatic powder coating
increased adhesion for most powders and food targets. Sub-
sequent studies (Huang and Barringer 2012) showed that
powder resistivity, applied voltage and ambient relative
humidity (RH) influenced the amount of adhesion.
The objective of this research was to test the use of elec-
trostatic sprays of potassium sorbate on cakes and to deter-
mine if they provide improved spray coverage, prevention
of microbial growth and extended shelf life as compared
with equivalent noncharged sprays.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Experimental Design
As part of the experimental design, individual cupcakes
were produced and sprayed with either a noncharged or
electrostatically charged aqueous spray of potassium sorbate
for a period of 0–3 s. The cupcakes were stored at 25C at
either 80 or 85% RH, in a chamber containing known
molds and yeast. The development of microbial growth over
time was monitored. The initial uniformity of coverage was
also assessed, as well as the amount of overspray. In addi-
tion, changes in textural properties of the cakes were mea-
sured to see if these were influenced by preservative sprays
and microbial growth.
Cake Formulation
Cupcakes were made from a yellow cake recipe similar to a
commercial product. Ingredients are listed in Table 1 in
amounts per 1,200 g of cake batter. Dry ingredients, includ-
ing shortening, were combined with a mixer (Professional
600, KitchenAid, St. Joseph, MI) at 39 rpm for 30 s. Half the
water, eggs and oil were added and the combination was
mixed for an additional 60 s. The rest of the wet ingredients
were then added and the batter was mixed for 90 s at
52 rpm. Approximately 55 g of batter was poured into indi-
vidual muffin tins, placed within a 12-cup baking tray. The
cakes were baked at 350F (177C) for ∼20 min. Individual
cakes were cooled for 10 min, then removed from the pan
and allowed to cool at ambient temperature on wire racks.
Moisture content and water activity were measured from
samples at the geometric center of the muffin. The moisture
content was measured by the modified vacuum-oven
2173
ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYING OF CAKES W.L. KERR and C.A. KERR

TABLE 1. FORMULATION OF YELLOW TEST CAKE prepared and contained within a 500-mL reservoir. Com-
Ingredient (g) Supplier pressed air was regulated to ∼30 psig (308 kPa) and directed
to meet the liquid at the tip of nozzle, dispersing the liquid
Cake flour (American beauty) 251 Conagra Mills, Omaha, NE
Sugar 311 Domino Foods, Inc., West into fine droplets 30–60 μm in diameter. For charged par-
Palm Beach, Fl ticles, the spray passed a small electrode that causes an
Nonfat dry milk 18.4 Great Value, Bentonville, AR inductive charge in the droplets. The use of induction
Pureflo way maize starch 23.5 National Starch Co, charging within the nozzle limits the requirement for elec-
Bridgewater, NJ trical current continuing to earth through grounding of the
Liquid whole eggs 218 Michael Foods, Inc.,
sprayed target (Lyons et al. 2011).
Minnetonka, MN
Wesson canola oil 172 ConAgra Foods, Omaha, NE
Individual cupcakes were placed on a stand 10 cm below
Crisco shortening 19.7 J.M. Smucker Co, Orrville, the level of the nozzle tip and 76 cm away from it, deter-
OH mined previously as providing optimal coverage from this
Emulsifier 7.9 BFP 65K,Caravan Ingredients, unit. To measure spray current, a metal coupon 3 × 3 cm
Lenexa, KS was held 3 cm from the nozzle. A soldered lead was directed
SSL 1.1 Emplex, Caravan Ingredients, to an ammeter (Amprobe 30XR-A, Everett, WA) with the
Lenexa, KS
other lead attached to ground. The flow system was adjusted
TIC 451 hydrocolloid 0.6 TIC Gums, Belcamp, MD
Vanilla extract 0.7 Givaudan, Cincinnati, OH
to give a liquid flow rate of 0.84 g/s, leading to a charge-to-
Baking soda 3.8 ABC Bakery Supplies, Miami, mass ratio of −8.1 mC/kg. Based on preliminary trials,
FL sprays were applied to each cupcake for 0, 1, 2 and 3 s. In
NaAlPO4 3.8 Innophos, Cranbury, NJ addition, the sorbate solution was applied with and without
Natural butter flavor 0.6 Givaudan, Cincinnati, OH inductive charging, i.e., with either −8.1 or 0 mC/kg.
Salt 5.9 Great Value, Bentonville, AR
FD&C yellow 5 3 Sensient Technologies,
Milwaukee, WI
Water 159 Crystal Springs, Atlanta, GA Spray Coverage
To examine the degree of product coverage resulting from
each of the charged and uncharged sprays, as well as spray
method (American Association of Cereal Chemists Interna- times, the target was sprayed with a sorbate solution con-
tional Method 44-40.01). Samples were held in the vacuum taining a dye as described by Evans et al. (1994). Two dyes
oven (1430 VWR Vacuum Oven, VWR International, LLC, were tested at 5 g/L, including A-15-N Blaze Fluorescent
West Chester, PA) between 98 and 100C for 24 h. Water Orange (DayGlo Color Corp., Cleveland, OH) or Bromo-
activity was measured using an AquaLab Model Series 3 cresol Purple (Science Stuff, Inc., Austin, TX). Because of
(Decagon Devices, Inc, Pullman, WA). the light yellow color of the cakes, it was found that purple
dye provided the best contrast. The solution containing dye
was tested as described previously to ensure it maintained a
Electrostatic Spray Unit
−8.1 mC/kg charge.
Sprays were delivered using a portable unit provided by Images of each cupcake were taken using a A720 8.0
Electrostatic Spraying Systems, Inc. located in Watkinsville, megapixel digital camera (Cannon, Inc., Melville, NY) at a
Georgia (Fig. 1). A 5% potassium sorbate (Mitsubishi distance 45 cm from the cake surface, after placing the cup-
International Food Ingredients, Dublin, OH) solution was cakes on a copy stand with twin 5,100 K lights at ∼45°

FIG. 1. DIAGRAM OF PRESERVATIVE

SPRAYING UNIT WITH ATTACHMENT FOR
FORMING ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGED
DROPLETS

2174 Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 39 (2015) 2171–2179 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
W.L. KERR and C.A. KERR ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYING OF CAKES

angles. The images were downloaded and analyzed using

Statistical Analysis
MATLAB software (MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA). Each
picture was cropped to include only the area of the cupcake. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using JMP 10
The images were then subject to a “threshold” function to (SAS Instittue Inc., Cary, NC). Tukey’s post hoc testing was
create a binary image in which the unsprayed cake was black used to determine if any differences existed among mean
and the sprayed areas were white. The covered area was values.
determined from the ratio of white pixels to total pixels and
converted to a percentage of cupcake surface covered with
spray.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Moisture, Aw and pH
Shelf-Life Testing
Neither the presence of potassium sorbate, presence of
Subsequent to baking, cupcakes were placed on trays (12
charge or time of spray resulted in differences in the initial
per tray) and placed in HotPack Model 435314 environ-
moisture content (24.3 g H2O/100 g), Aw (0.832) or pH
mental chambers (ESPEC North America Inc., Hudsonville,
(6.95).
MI). The chambers were kept at 25C and either 75 or 85%
RH. The RH values were chosen to correspond with usual
Aw levels for baked products (Guynot et al. 2002). Samples Spray Coverage
were exposed to select microorganisms using the “air
Figure 2 shows the area of the cupcakes covered by the
cabinet method” (Fustier et al. 1998). In this approach, a
sorbate sprays at 0–3 s spray time, with and without electro-
contaminated industrial environment is simulated. Potato
static charging. Uncharged sprays resulted in 36 to 42% cov-
dextrose agar plates colonized by strains of Eurotium repens,
erage, with spray times of 3 s resulting in slightly greater
Penicillium chrysogenum, Mucor hiemalis and Aspergillus
coverage than at 1 or 2 s. With charged sprays, the degree of
niger were opened in the chambers. Fungal cultures were
coverage increased to 62 to 78%, again with spray times of
provided by Dr. Faith Critzer from the Center for Food
3 s resulting in greater coverage than at 1 or 2 s. Thus, elec-
Safety (Griffin, GA). Samples were kept up to 25 days at the
trostatic charging resulted in approximately twice the area
specified conditions. Samples were removed daily for micro-
of coverage.
biological evaluation.
Figure 3 shows photographic images of cakes sprayed
Where possible, the number and areas of the mold colo-
with and without electrostatic charging. Charged sprays
nies were determined using the MATLAB software. Quanti-
provided more uniform coverage, with more similar density
fication of individual species was not attempted, however, in
some cases the presence of predominant species was noted.

Texture Measurements
Cross-sections (2.5 cm thickness) were cut from the center
of each muffin and subjected to a modified compression
test using a TA-XT2I Texture Analyzer (Texture Technolo-
gies Corp., Scarsdale, NY) fitted with a 11 mm diameter cyl-
inder probe (TA-212) and a 25-kg load cell. Each sample
was compressed to 25% of the sample’s initial height at a
probe speed of 1.0 mm/s and then held at that distance for
60 s. Data were collected and expressed as force versus time.
Firmness (the maximum force during the first compression)
and springiness (ratio of force at 60 s after the maximum
force compared with the maximum force) of samples were
determined from the resulting curves. The results were
plotted over time and fit to several models as described by
Gomez et al. (2010). As with those researchers, firmness and
springiness were best fit by a square root model, namely:

Texture Property = a + b time (1) FIG. 2. AREA COVERED BY POTASSIUM SORBATE SPRAY AS A
FUNCTION OF SPRAY TIME, WITH AND WITHOUT INDUCTIVE
where a and b are constants. CHARGING OF THE DROPLETS

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 39 (2015) 2171–2179 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 2175
ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYING OF CAKES W.L. KERR and C.A. KERR

better protection against subsequent fungal growth, in a

practical sense, the shelf life is determined by the initial
appearance of mold.
It should also be noted that storage at 75% RH represents
a rather low end for mold growth. Guynot et al. (2005)
noted that while Eurotium spp. grew on fermented bakery
product analogues at 0.80 Aw, Aspergillus spp. and Penicil-
lium spp. did not. They also noted that at pH 4.5, incorpo-
rating sorbate inhibited fungal growth at 0.80 Aw, while at
pH 5.5 fungal growth was observed even at 0.3% potassium
sorbate. In the context of modified atmosphere studies,
Abellana et al. (2000) showed that while at 0.90 Aw, the lag
phase for Eurotium spp. was 2–4 days; at 0.75 Aw, the lag
phase was as long as 30 days. Their studies were carried out
at 20C, while ours were carried out at 25C. Using compiled
data, Fontana (2008) noted that the minimum Aw for fungal
growth was 0.70–0.72 Aw for some Eurotium spp., 0.77 for
FIG. 3. PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES OF CUPCAKES SPRAYED WITH A
A. niger and 0.80–0.83 for several Penicillium spp. Sautour
SOLUTION OF 5% POTASSIUM SORBATE AND 0.5% BROMOCRESOL
PURPLE et al. (2001) noted only a small proportion of germinating
conidia of Penicillium chrysogenum on the surface of cakes
at 0.75 Aw and 25C after 25 days. In our case, fungal cover-
age at 0.75 Aw consisted primarily of many faint, blue-green
over the total surfaces of the cake. In contrast, uncharged colonies of one type dispersed over the surface and more
sprays were more concentrated on the path in the direct line typical of Eurotium spp.
of sight of the spray nozzle. As would be expected, samples stored at 85% RH had a
shorter period before the mold began to appear. Without
spray, fungal growth was first noticed on day 3. With
Shelf-Life Tests
TABLE 2. PERCENTAGE OF CUPCAKE AREA COVERED BY YEAST AND
Table 2 shows the growth of mold on the cupcakes,
MOLD AFTER SPRAYING WITH PRESERVATIVE AND STORED AT 25C
expressed as a percentage of the cake surface covered with AND EITHER 75% OR 85% RELATIVE HUMIDITY*
visible mold. At 75% RH, no molds were observed on any
Uncharged spray Electrostatic spray
cakes at 9 days. At day 10, cupcakes with no spray (i.e., 0 s)
and those with 1 s uncharged spray began to show some Day 0 1s 2s 3s 1s 2s 3s
evidence of mold growth. At day 11, cakes with charged 75% humidity
sprays also began to show signs of mold growth. ANOVA 1 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a
results indicated that spray time, length of storage and use 3 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a
of electrostatic charging were all significant factors. Once 9 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a
10 0.3ab 0.2a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a
mold began to appear, it rapidly grew over the next several
11 2.3def 2.0cdef 0.8bc 0.8bc 0.8bc 0.4abc 0.3ab
days. Thus, for cupcakes that were not sprayed with sor- 12 17.3D 9.2pqr 6.5 4.3fgh 3.5efg 1.7cd 0.9bcd
bates, mold began to appear at day 10 and had grown to 13 47.3I 12.3vw 9.3pqr 8.6nop 10.6stuv 6.7klm 6.1jk
cover 68% of the surface by day 15. As noted, the use of 14 52.7J 15.4zABC 14.9yzA 10.8tuv 13.2wx 8.4no 7.9mno
uncharged sorbate sprays delayed the onset by 1 day, but 15 68.3L 19.8EFG 17.8DE 11.2uv 18.7DEF 10.2rs 9.0opqr
also reduced the rate of mold growth thereafter. Thus 1, 2 85% humidity
and 3 s sprays resulted in mold covering 20.5, 19.2 and 1 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a
2 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a
11.8% of the surface after 15 days. Electrostatic sprays were
3 4.9ghij 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a 0a
even more effective at reducing mold spread. Charged 4 7.8mno 2.1def 0.2a 0.1a 0.4abc 0a 0a
sprays at 1, 2 and 3 s led to mold coverage of 18.7, 10.2 and 5 15.0yzA 5.5hijk 0.3ab 0.2a 1.5cd 0.2a 0.1a
9.0% of the surface after 15 days. Thus, both uncharged and 6 40.6H 9.6qr 8.8op 5.3hij 5.5hijk 5.2hij 3.7efgh
charged sprays helped prevent the onset of mold. Charged 7 62.4KL 13.2wx 15.9ABC 9.2pqr 7.8mno 7.5lm 4.2fgh
sprays reduced the spread of mold. One reason for this is 8 78.8M 20.5FG 19.2EF 11.8uvw 10.2rs 9.8qrs 7.6lm
that the charged sprays gave better antimicrobial coverage of *Values not followed by the same lowercase or uppercase letter are
all surfaces of the cupcakes. While charged sprays provided significantly different at P < 0.05.

2176 Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 39 (2015) 2171–2179 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
W.L. KERR and C.A. KERR ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYING OF CAKES

uncharged sorbate sprays, mold growth was found on day 4.

With electrostatic sprays at 2 and 3 s, fungus was noticed
only after 5 days. As with samples stored at 75% RH, once
mold was noticed it began to proliferate. For unsprayed
control, 78.8% of the surface was covered after 8 days. Elec-
trostatic sprays were more effective than uncharged sprays
at limiting growth. For example, for cupcakes treated for 2 s
with uncharged spray, fungus had spread to 20.5% of the
surface after 8 days. For equivalent charged sprays, the
fungus had spread to only 9.8% of the surface. The type of
colonies present was also quite different than observed for
samples stored at 75% RH. At 85% RH, there were several
large black colonies, most similar to the “black mold” of
A. niger. In addition, there were numerous smaller blue-
green colonies, most likely because of Penicillium
chrysogenum. Occasionally, there were some diffuse red-
brown areas. Penicillium, Aspergillus and Eurotium spp. can
all produce pigments of a variety of colors. These range
from black-brown-red melanin-related pigments to several
yellow-red pigments of the carotenoid family (Durn et al.
2002).

Textural Properties
Measurements of cupcake firmness and springiness are
shown in Fig. 4. The data were generally fit well with the
square root of Eq. (1) with R-square values of 0.982–0.995
for firmness and 0.814–0.870 for springiness. All cakes
showed an increase in firmness and decrease in springiness
with time. For example, for samples stored at 75% RH firm-
ness increased from 730 g at day 0 to 1,254–1,379 g after 14
days. In these conditions, springiness decreased from 0.70 to
0.47–0.49 after 14 days. An increase in firmness is part of
the phenomenon of staling (Schiraldi and Fessas 2010). At
75% RH, part of this may be due to loss of moisture in the
cakes. In addition, recrystallization of starch and migration
of moisture away from the crumb create a more extended,
leathery structure that takes more force to compress.
Springiness, in this context, is primarily a measure of stress
relaxation under a constant strain. Here, it assesses how well
the cake will return to its original dimensions after being
compressed.
Interestingly, the type of spray did make some difference
in the measured firmness, particularly after several days of
storage. Those samples sprayed with uncharged sorbate
were somewhat firmer than those sprayed with electrostatic
spray-charged sorbates. At 75% RH, cakes with uncharged
sprays were 9.9–14.6% firmer than those with electrostatic
sprays after 9 days. For samples held at 85% RH, cakes with
uncharged sprays were 8.2–11.1% firmer than those with
electrostatic sprays after 6 days of storage. The type of spray
was not a significant factor for springiness for samples held
FIG. 4. FIRMNESS AND SPRINGINESS OF CAKES SPRAYED WITH
POTASSIUM SORBATE AND HELD AT (A) 75% RELATIVE HUMIDITY OR
(B) 85% RELATIVE HUMIDITY
at 75% RH. For those held at 85% RH, electrostatic-sprayed
samples were somewhat springier than those sprayed with
uncharged sorbate.
CONCLUSIONS
It is well known that applying antimicrobial sprays can help
prevent mold and yeast growth on cakes and other baked
goods. This study shows that using an electrostatically
charged spray can help increase the coverage of the antimi-
crobial over the entire surface of the cake. This, in turn,
helps increase the number of days before mold first begins
to appear and the rate of mold growth subsequent to that.
The application of charge also led to a small difference in
texture attributes between products, although the reason for
this is unclear. In the current work, one spray nozzle was
used at a fixed distance to test the proof of concept. Future
research and technology transfer may optimize the arrange-
ment of one or more nozzles for best coverage.
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