Surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma inactivates white colony-forming yeast in kimchi seasoning

White colony-forming yeast (WCFY) is a major source of food spoilage. Although it does not cause cytotoxic reactions, WCFY on kimchi results in unpleasant odors that are unappealing to consumers, resulting in economic losses and food wastage. Chemical and physical disinfection methods for kimchi have limitations. Surface dielectric barrier discharge (S-DBD) plasma treatment is a recent innovation that shows promise for inactivating WCFYs; however, this approach has not yet been tested in kimchi. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate whether S-DBD plasma treatment of WCFY Kazachstania servazzii inhibits colony formation in kimchi seasoning during storage. Through visual confirmation, we found that the optimized S-DBD plasma treatment effectively inhibited WCFY formation. Moreover, treatment with S-DBD plasma exerted only an anti-WCFY effect and did not significantly change the physicochemical properties (e.g., pH, titratable acidity, volatile organic compounds) of the kimchi seasoning samples, indicating that the quality was preserved. Maximum WCFY reduction occurred at 67.8% relative humidity, 120.0 min treatment time, and 15.1 °C. In conclusion, S-DBD plasma treatment is an effective alternative to current anti-yeast approaches and has the potential to improve the quality of kimchi production.