Cold plasma modification of rice bran insoluble dietary fiber: effects on phenolic extractability, physicochemical and structural properties
摘要
The dense structure of rice bran insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and the limited bioavailability of phenolic compounds have constrained the development of whole-grain food products. Cold plasma (CP) is a green, non-thermal technology with the potential to modify the structure and physicochemical properties of rice bran IDF. In this study, the effects of CP treatment on phenolic extractability, as well as on the physicochemical and structural properties of rice bran IDF, were systematically investigated under different applied voltages (40−80 kV) and treatment time (0−40 min). The results showed that moderate CP treatment (70 kV for 20 min) significantly improved phenolic extractability, resulting in an 86.60% increase in free phenolic content and the highest antioxidant capacity. The effect of increasing the applied voltage was more pronounced than that of extending the treatment time. Compared with the untreated sample, CP-modified rice bran IDF exhibited significantly enhanced water-holding capacity (WHC, 30.15% increase), oil-holding capacity (OHC, 11.99% increase), and swelling capacity (SC, 26.41% increase), while thermal stability decreased. Correspondingly, structural analyses revealed pronounced surface fractures and pore formation in the treated IDF, accompanied by weakened intermolecular hydrogen bonding and decreased relative crystallinity (RC). Overall, these results indicated that CP treatment is an effective method for modifying rice bran IDF and improving its functional utilization in food systems.