OICC Press Journal of Theoretical and Applied Physics 2251-7235 20 5 2026 10 31 Cytotoxicity of Liquid Food Decontaminated by Spark Plasma 10.57647/jtap.2026.2005.07 EN Nasrin Navab Safa Department of Physics, CT.C, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Alireza Maroofi Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Somaieh Kazemnejad Nanobiotechnology Research Center, Department of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Avicenna Research Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran Maryam Darzi Nanobiotechnology Research Center, Department of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Avicenna Research Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran Hamid Ghomi Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2026 10 31 In the current study, the applicability of spark discharge for the decontamination of liquid food is investigated. While spark discharge has shown significant potential for liquid decontamination, food safety remains a primary concern for the adoption of any new method in food processing. In this work, the probable toxicity of the distillate following the spark plasma treatment was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. MTT assay results for HepG2 cells showed no remarkable difference in cell viability between plasma-treated and untreated distillate. However, for Vero cells, a significant difference in cell viability was observed after 24 hours(h) of incubation. Aside from the group with an N(20)/D(80) culture media-to-distillate ratio, no significant differences in MTT assay results were observed after 48 hours of incubation. The discrepancy in cell viability observed in this specific group raises concerns regarding the method's suitability. Furthermore, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) results indicate that the concentration of certain trace essential elements, such as tungsten, increases in the distillate after treatment, exceeding the permissible limits for drinking water quality. Although spark discharge demonstrates significant bactericidal efficacy, its application for liquid food decontamination poses unacceptable safety risks.