Cold Plasma Treatment of Little Millet Flour: Impact on Bioactives, Antinutritional Factors and Functional Properties

Samuel Jaddu; Sibasish Sahoo; Shivani Sonkar; Khalid Alzahrani; Madhuresh Dwivedi; N N Misra; Rama Chandra Pradhan

doi:10.1007/s11130-024-01171-0

Cold Plasma Treatment of Little Millet Flour: Impact on Bioactives, Antinutritional Factors and Functional Properties

Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2024 Apr 12. doi: 10.1007/s11130-024-01171-0. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Samuel Jaddu¹, Sibasish Sahoo¹, Shivani Sonkar¹, Khalid Alzahrani², Madhuresh Dwivedi¹, N N Misra³, Rama Chandra Pradhan⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Process Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India.
² Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia. nnmisra@tu.edu.sa.
⁴ Department of Food Process Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India. pradhanrc@nitrkl.ac.in.

PMID: 38607507
DOI: 10.1007/s11130-024-01171-0

Abstract

This study delves into the transformative effects of atmospheric cold plasma (CP) treatment on little millet flour (LMF), specifically exploring alterations in bioactive compounds, antinutritional factors, and functional properties. Foaming and emulsification properties experienced noteworthy enhancements with plasma treatment, manifesting in significant increases in foaming capacity (up to 51.47 ± 0.49%), foaming stability, emulsification ability, and emulsion stability (up to 47.02 ± 0.35%). The treatment also positively influenced water absorption index and swelling power. Antinutritional factors, including tannins and saponins, exhibited substantial reductions following plasma treatment. Saponin content, for instance, decreased by an impressive 58% after exposure to 20 kV for 20 min. Conversely, bioactive compounds such as phenolic content and antioxidant activity saw significant increases. Total phenolic content (TPC) rose from 527.54 ± 8.94 to 575.82 ± 3.58 mg GAE/100 g, accompanied by a remarkable 59% boost in antioxidant activity. Interestingly, plasma treatment did not exhibit a discernible effect on pasting properties. These findings collectively underscore the potential of atmospheric CP treatment as a novel and effective method for enhancing the functional and nutritional attributes of LMF, thereby opening new avenues for its application in food science and technology.

Keywords: Foam; Ionization; Millet; Nonthermal; Phytate; Saponin.

Abstract

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