Effects of Cold Plasma Technology on the Structural and Functional Properties of Highland Barley Protein

To modify highland barley protein by low temperature plasma technology, and to explore the effects of different treatment conditions on the structural and functional properties of highland barley protein. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe changes in the microstructure of highland barley protein. Sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was employed to study changes in its primary structure. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy were utilized to analyze changes in its secondary and tertiary structures. Additionally, the impact of cold plasma on the basic functional properties of barley protein was analyzed. The results showed that with the increased treatment time, the surface morphology of the samples was disrupted, resulting in increased pore size and quantity. The primary structure of the protein remained unchanged after cold plasma treatment, while the β-sheet content in the secondary structure significantly increased (P © The Author(s) 2024.