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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Food Quality Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #397729
Research Project: Integrated Approaches to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Quality with Improved Phenolics Contents

Location: Food Quality Laboratory

Title: Effect of cold plasma treatment on the physiological-biochemical properties and nutritional components in soybean sprouts

Author
item JI, WENMIN - Qingdao University
item LI, MAN - Qingdao University
item Yang, Tianbao
item LI, HONGYAN - Qingdao University
item LI, WENXIANG - Qingdao University
item WANG, JING - Beijing Technology And Business University
item MA, MENG - Qingdao University

Submitted to: Food Research International
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/22/2022
Publication Date: 11/20/2022
Citation: Ji, W., Li, M., Yang, T., Li, H., Li, W., Wang, J., Ma, M. 2022. Effect of cold plasma treatment on the physiological-biochemical properties and nutritional components in soybean sprouts. Food Research International. 161(111766). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111766.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111766

Interpretive Summary: Cold plasma is a novel non-thermal technology, and has been used to promote plant seed germination and growth. To study the effect of cold plasma on soybean sprout yield, soybean seeds were directly treated with cold plasma (CP) for different durations (0, 30, 60, 120, and 180 seconds) and then cultivated with cold-plasma-activated water (PAW). The effects of CP and PAW treatment on the physical–biochemical properties and nutritional components of soybean sprouts were investigated. The results showed that sprout length increased by 41.07% after moderate CP (60 seconds) and further increased with PAW. The fresh weight increased by 11.24% after moderate CP treatment. Although sugar content decreased with CP, it increased with PAW. Total amino acid and isoflavone content increased after moderate CP treatment. Both CP and PAW treatments increased the intercellular water and weakened the fluidity of water, and small-molecule proteins were polymerized into large-molecule proteins. The solubility of protein was enhanced under PAW treatment. However, neither PAW nor CP treatment exerted a significant influence on the secondary structure of proteins. The hardness of the soybean sprouts decreased and their fracturability increased after moderate CP treatment. This study shows that seed treatment with cold plasma is an effective tool for growers to increase the yield, change the physiological-biochemical property and nutritional quality of soybean sprouts.

Technical Abstract: Cold plasma has been used to promote seed germination and growth. In this study, soybean seeds were directly treated with cold plasma (CP) for different durations (0, 30, 60, 120, and 180 sec) and then cultivated with cold-plasma-activated water (PAW) during germination. The effects of CP and PAW treatment on the physical–biochemical properties and nutritional components of soybean sprouts were investigated. The results showed that sprout length increased by 41.07% after moderate CP (60 sec) and further increased with PAW. The fresh weight increased by 11.24% after moderate CP treatment. Although sugar content decreased with CP, it increased with PAW. Total amino acid and isoflavone content increased after moderate CP treatment. Both CP and PAW treatments increased the intercellular water and weakened the fluidity of water, and small-molecule proteins were polymerized into large-molecule proteins. The solubility of protein was enhanced under PAW treatment. However, neither PAW nor CP treatment exerted a significant influence on the secondary structure of proteins. The hardness of the soybean sprouts decreased and their fracturability increased after moderate CP treatment. This study demonstrates that cold plasma has the potential to enhance the biomass and edible quality of soybean sprouts.