Application of corona electrical discharge plasma on modifying the physicochemical properties of banana starch indigenous to Taiwan

J Food Drug Anal. 2018 Jan;26(1):244-251. doi: 10.1016/j.jfda.2017.03.005. Epub 2017 Apr 18.

Abstract

Corona electrical discharge (CED) belongs to an atmospheric pressure cold plasma. In this study, raw banana starch (indigenous to Taiwan), which contained resistant starch and amylose at a level of 58.4 g/100 g and 14.5 g/100 g, respectively, was treated by CED at 30 kV/cm, 40 kV/cm, and 50 kV/cm for 3 minutes. After the CED treatment, starch analyses showed that there were no apparent changes in the resistant starch and amylose contents. Only surface and nonpenetrative damage caused by plasma etching at different voltage strengths were observed on the starch granules. The CED treatments reduced the total area of diffraction peak, gelatinization enthalpy (by -21% to -38%), and different pasting behaviors including peak viscosity, breakdown, final viscosity, and setback. The CED treatments were capable of increasing relative crystallinity and gelatinization temperature. This study revealed the potential of CED plasma technology as a tool to modify the characteristics of banana starch.

Keywords: banana starch; corona electrical discharge; plasma; resistant starch; starch property.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amylose
  • Calorimetry, Differential Scanning
  • Chemical Phenomena*
  • Musa / chemistry*
  • Plasma Gases / chemistry*
  • Starch / chemistry*
  • Starch / ultrastructure
  • Taiwan
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Plasma Gases
  • Starch
  • Amylose

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Council of Agriculture, the Republicof China(105AS-16.3.1-CI-C5 and105AS-16.3.1-CI-C6).