Enhancement of structural and functional characteristics of millet flours using non-equilibrium cold plasma

The effect of non-equilibrium cold plasma (NECP) treatment on functional and nutritional properties of finger millet flour was investigated. Finger millet flour was treated at two different exposure times for 5 min and 10 min, and functional and nutritional properties such as Water and oil holding capacity, water binding capacity, color, and dispersibility of the control and plasma treated flour were studied. There was no significant difference in the color intensity and the whitening index (WI) with the treatment. The functional properties such as water holding capacity (WHC), oil absorption capacity (OAC), foaming and emulsifying capacity have shown significant increment with treatment time. FTIR and DSC results depicted the depolymerization of starch in the treated flour. Plasma treatment was observed to enhance the functional properties of the finger millet flour, whilst the physical properties remained unchanged. Overall plasma treatment can be explored for development of a process to enhance functionality of finger millet flour for applications in food systems. There remains plenty of scope for commercial level expansion.