Cold Plasma: an Alternative Technology for the Starch Modification

Cold plasma is an emerging novel non-thermal technology in the sector of food processing. In the present review we will discuss the recent scientific reports on properties of cold plasma treated starches. For industrial use native starch is subject to modification to enhance the properties. This paper reviews on the mechanism of starch modification by plasma reactive species, briefly discussing its effects on properties. The effect of cold plasma on starches depends on the type of feed gas, voltage applied and treatment time. The alteration in the properties is mainly due to depolymerization and cross linking of amylose and amylopectin side chains. After plasma treatment there is decrease in molecular weight, viscosity, and gelatinization temperatures. Plasma etching increased the surface energy and enhanced the hydrophilicity of the starch granules. We can conclude that cold plasma is as alternative technology to modify the properties of starch.