부산대학교 도서관

Studies based on the effect of cold plasma excitation frequency on the physicochemical properties of unconventional starches, such as Goeppertia allouia (popularly known as aria in Brazil), have not been extensively found in the scientific literature. Treatments using 5 different excitation frequencies from 50 to 550 Hz were performed on a dielectric barrier cold plasma equipment operated at 20 kV for 15 min. The morphological and physicochemical changes in starches were investigated by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The content of amylose, reducing sugars, carbonyl, and carboxyl groups, as well as the starch digestibility, gel hydration, pasting, and thermal properties of native and treated starches were investigated. The native starch presented C-type polymorphism; however, the starch treated at 200 Hz presented higher proportion of A-type/B-type crystals and crystallinity. These changes in the phase composition and crystallinity directly affected the physicochemical properties of the aria starch, increasing its hydration properties and content of resistant starch. In general, the excitation frequency of cold plasma can be used to modulate the physicochemical behavior of starches, being considered a green and non-destructive technique. Thus, the application of cold plasma showed to be an important tool to obtain tunable polysaccharides from aria for a wide range of industrial purposes, such as in food, chemical, or pharmaceutical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]