Cold Plasma Modification of Cottonseed Cake Protein: Effects on Structural and Functional Properties

Abstract

Objective: This study investigates the effect of cold plasma treatment conditions on the structural and functional properties of cottonseed cake and the removal of antinutrients. Methods: The cottonseed cake protein is subjected to cold plasma treatment at 10 kV, 20 kV, and 30 kV for the duration of 10, 20, and 30 minutes. The effect of cold plasma treatment on the proteins functional properties, structural characteristics, physical characteristics and oxidation characteristics were analyzed. Results and discussion: The cold plasma treatment led to the secondary and tertiary structural modifications, and altered the physicochemical properties including particle size, zeta potential, free sulfhydryl, carbonyls, and surface hydrophobicity. A significant (p≤0.05) reduction in the gossypol content was observed post-treatment. The functional properties were improved with emulsifying activity index (EAI) ranging from 21-30 m2/g, emulsion stability index (ESI) from 20-34 min, foaming capacity from 40-100 %, foam stability from 63-92 %, and protein solubility from 30-60%. These findings show that the cold plasma-modified cottonseed cake protein can be served as a food supplement and as a fortifying agent, emulsifier, stabilizer, and other food applications, particularly in addressing malnutrition in cotton-growing countries.