Method for improving oxidation resistance of corn by applying glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology and application

Abstract

The invention provides a method for improving oxidation resistance of corn by applying a glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology and application. Belongs to the technical field of agricultural seed treatment. When the method is used for treating the corn, no drug residue exists, bioactive components in plants are not influenced, the method is safer and more reliable, the oxidation resistance of the corn can be remarkably improved, the quality of the corn is improved, the consumption of nutritional components is reduced, and the processing and storage performance of the corn is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of agricultural seed treatment, and more specifically to a method and application of improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology. Background Art

[0002] Corn is an important food crop and one of the three major staple foods in my country. It is widely used in the food and feed industry because it contains about 70% starch, 10% protein, 5% fat and trace amounts of vitamins and other nutrients. It plays a vital role in the national economy and agricultural production. However, corn is prone to mold contamination and lipid oxidation due to its physiological characteristics such as large embryonic tissue and easy hygroscopicity, vigorous respiration, and fats mainly composed of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Compared with other cereal seeds, it has poor storage resistance. Therefore, improving the antioxidant properties and storage resistance of corn seeds is of great significance to ensure the sustainable development of agriculture and national food security.

[0003] At present, physical and biological methods are mostly used for research related to improving the antioxidant properties and storage resistance of grain seeds. For example, CN 104719746 B discloses a method for preparing corn with high antioxidant activity, in which corn seeds are subjected to high-temperature fluidization treatment at 120-180°C for 20-140s to increase the content of free phenols that can be absorbed and utilized in corn; CN 108165576 A discloses a method for improving the antioxidant capacity of rice grains, in which the astaxanthin protein gene is transformed into the rice genome by a transgenic method, and transgenic strains with high astaxanthin expression and unchanged or increased single-plant yield are screened out; and in order to extend the storage period of corn, the main method adopted is to slow down the speed of corn quality deterioration from the storage environment (empty warehouse disinfection, warehouse temperature control, etc.), and mature technologies and methods are currently applied to various storage warehouses.

[0004] The disadvantages of these methods are:

[0005] (1) High temperature treatment can cause corn kernels to burst or break, which will reduce their quality and is not conducive to safe storage.

[0006] (2) Although the transgenic method can directly improve the antioxidant capacity of grain seeds, the period required to screen and cultivate transgenic offspring with high antioxidant capacity is long and difficult to apply on a large scale.

[0007] (3) The storage method of storage warehouse has high operating costs and is often used for large-scale grain storage. However, it is difficult to achieve the corresponding storage environment for a small amount of corn seeds, which will inevitably cause certain losses.

[0008] Therefore, how to provide an eco-friendly, safe, non-thermal physical processing method that does not damage the active ingredients of corn, improve the quality of corn, and enhance its antioxidant properties and processing and storage properties is a technical problem that technical personnel in this field urgently need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0009] In view of this, the present invention provides a method and application of improving the antioxidant property of corn using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology. The corn seeds are treated with glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology, which has no drug residues and does not affect the biologically active ingredients in the plant. It is safer and more reliable, and can significantly improve the antioxidant property of corn and improve the quality of corn.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0011] A method for improving the antioxidant properties of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology, comprising the following steps: placing corn seeds in a vacuum state, then injecting a working gas, adjusting the pressure to a working gas, and performing glow discharge low-temperature plasma treatment at a specific power and for a specific duration, thereby improving the antioxidant properties of the corn.

[0012] Preferably, the vacuum degree of the vacuum state is 10Pa.

[0013] Preferably, the power is 50W.

[0014] Preferably, the working gas is argon and / or nitrogen.

[0015] Preferably, the working gas pressure is 75-125Pa.

[0016] Further preferably, the working gas pressure is 100Pa.

[0017] Preferably, the glow discharge low-temperature plasma treatment lasts for 1-10 minutes.

[0018] Further preferably, the glow discharge low-temperature plasma treatment is performed for 5 minutes.

[0019] Another object of the present invention is to provide: an application of the above method, wherein the application is any one of the following:

[0020] A: Application in improving the antioxidant capacity of corn;

[0021] B: Application in improving corn quality;

[0022] C: Application in corn processing and preservation.

[0023] It can be seen from the above technical solution that compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] (1) The present invention adopts low-temperature plasma technology, and the whole process is kept at a state close to room temperature, so the original nutritional quality of corn will not be destroyed during the treatment process. The active ingredients and quality of corn after low-temperature plasma treatment are guaranteed, and it can be closely combined with corn processing, storage, etc., and it is easy to achieve green and safe storage. There is no environmental pollution during the treatment process, and it will not affect the unused corn, which is green and environmentally friendly.

[0025] (2) Low-temperature plasma technology can evenly act on the surface of each seed. By treating corn with low-temperature plasma under appropriate treatment conditions (working pressure, treatment time) of the present invention, the antioxidant capacity of corn is fundamentally improved, and its nutritional quality is improved. It does not require a specific environment or treatment to delay quality deterioration and extend the storage period.

[0026] (3) The antioxidant properties of corn seeds after treatment were significantly improved. Specifically, under the conditions of working pressure of 100Pa and treatment time of 5min, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)) in the two corn seeds were significantly enhanced, the contents of non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbic acid (AsA), glutathione (GSH), and total phenol (TPC)) were significantly increased, and the fatty acid value and malondialdehyde content were significantly reduced. Overall, it shows that low-temperature plasma with suitable treatment conditions has the effect of significantly improving the antioxidant properties of corn seeds, which helps to improve their freshness and storage stability, and has good application and promotion significance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 The following are the effects of different treatment conditions on SOD activity in corn seeds;

[0029] Figure 2 The following are the effects of different treatment conditions on CAT activity in corn seeds.

[0030] Figure 3 The results are as follows: The effects of different treatment conditions on the AsA content in corn seeds;

[0031] Figure 4 The following are the effects of different treatment conditions on the content of glutathione (GSH) in corn seeds;

[0032] Figure 5The following are the effects of different treatment conditions on the content of total phenolics (TPC) in corn seeds;

[0033] Figure 6 To: Effects of different treatment conditions on fatty acid values ​​in corn seeds;

[0034] Figure 7 The effect of different treatment conditions on the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in corn seeds. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] The low-temperature plasma seed treatment device used in the embodiment of the present invention is the device recorded in 202111195656.X.

[0037] Investigating the effects of different treatment conditions on the antioxidant properties of corn seeds

[0038] Example 1

[0039] In order to explore the effects of different working pressures and treatment times on the antioxidant properties of corn, we treated corn seeds Huanong 866 at different working pressures of 75, 100 and 125 Pa and different glow discharge low-temperature plasma treatment times of 1, 5 and 10 min. The specific operations for each group of seeds were 50 g as follows:

[0040] Corn seeds Huanong 866 with uniform particle size were selected and evenly spread on the plexiglass tray of the low-temperature plasma seed treatment device. The vacuum pump was turned on at a treatment power of 50 W to evacuate the cavity to 10 Pa, and then argon and / or nitrogen were filled to stabilize the working gas pressure at 75, 100 or 125 Pa, and glow discharge treatment was performed for 1, 5 or 10 min. At the same time, a blank control group that was not treated with low-temperature plasma was set.

[0041] During the treatment, the glow discharge phenomenon can be clearly observed through the circular transparent baffle of the reaction chamber. After the glow discharge, the seeds were taken out and ground into powder for the determination of SOD activity, CAT activity, ASA content, GSH content, TPC content, fatty acid value and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The experimental results are shown in Figure 2. Figure 1-Figure 7 shown.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] In order to explore the effects of different working pressures and treatment times on the antioxidant properties of corn, we treated corn seeds Zhengdan 958 at different working pressures of 75, 100 and 125 Pa and different glow discharge low-temperature plasma treatment times of 1, 5 and 10 min. The specific operations for each group of seeds were 50 g as follows:

[0044] Corn seeds Zhengdan 958 with uniform particle size were selected and evenly spread on the plexiglass tray of the low-temperature plasma seed treatment device. The vacuum pump was turned on at a processing power of 50 W to evacuate the cavity to 10 Pa, and then argon and / or nitrogen were filled to stabilize the working gas pressure at 75, 100 or 125 Pa, and glow discharge treatment was performed for 1, 5 or 10 min. At the same time, a blank control group that was not treated with low-temperature plasma was set up.

[0045] During the treatment, the glow discharge phenomenon can be clearly observed through the circular transparent baffle of the reaction chamber. After the glow discharge, the seeds were taken out and ground into powder for the determination of SOD activity, CAT activity, ASA content, GSH content, TPC content, fatty acid value and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The experimental results are shown in Figure 2. Figure 1-Figure 7 shown.

[0046] Result analysis:

[0047] (1) Effects of different treatment conditions on superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in corn seeds

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the SOD activities of 100-5m in each sample of Huanong 866 before and after Ar and N2 gas source low-temperature plasma treatment were the highest under each gas source treatment condition (177.51U / g, Ar; 166.89U / g, N2), which were significantly increased by 46.05% and 36.66% (P<0.05) compared with the untreated controls (121.54U / g, Ar; 122.12U / g, N2), respectively; Ar gas source The SOD activity of 125-5m in all samples of Zhengdan 958 before and after low-temperature plasma treatment was the highest, reaching 125.95U / g. The SOD activity of 100-5m in all samples before and after N2 gas source low-temperature plasma treatment reached a maximum value of 119.60U / g, which was significantly increased by 15.74% and 8.73% respectively compared with the untreated controls (108.82U / g, Ar; 110.00U / g, N2) (P<0.05).

[0049] (2) Effects of different treatment conditions on catalase (CAT) activity in corn seeds

[0050] like Figure 2As shown in the figure, the CAT activities of the samples of Huanong 866 treated with the two gas source low-temperature plasmas were higher than those of the untreated controls (582.11 U / g, Ar; 582.14 U / g, N2), and the CAT activity of 100-5m in the samples treated with Ar and N2 gas sources increased the most, which was 1.99 times and 1.49 times of that of the untreated controls, respectively. For Zhengdan 958, except for the sample 125-5m treated with Ar gas source and the sample 100-1m treated with N2 gas source, the CAT activities of the remaining samples treated with Ar and N2 gas source low-temperature plasma were significantly higher than those of the untreated controls (303.28 U / g, Ar; 301.86 U / g, N2) (P < 0.05). The CAT activity of 75-1m in the samples treated with the former increased the most, which was 2.11 times of that of the untreated controls, and the CAT activity of 100-5m in the samples treated with the latter increased the most, which was 2.12 times of that of the untreated controls.

[0051] (3) Effects of different treatment conditions on ascorbic acid (AsA) content in corn seeds

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the AsA content in the corn samples treated under the same working pressure showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the extension of treatment time. After Ar and N2 gas source low-temperature plasma treatment, the AsA content of 75-1m and 100-5m in each sample of Huanong 866 reached the highest value of 4.45mg / 100g and 4.48mg / 100g, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of the untreated controls (3.94mg / 100g, Ar; 3.92mg / 100g, N2) (P<0.05); after Ar and N2 gas source low-temperature plasma treatment, the AsA content of 75-1m and 100-5m in each sample of Zhengdan 958 reached the highest value of 3.74mg / 100g and 4.65mg / 100g, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of the untreated controls (3.52mg / 100g, Ar; 3.54mg / 100g, N2) (P<0.05).

[0053] (4) Effects of different treatment conditions on glutathione (GSH) content in corn seeds

[0054] like Figure 4As shown, the GSH content of 100-5m in each sample of Huanong 866 before and after Ar and N2 gas source low-temperature plasma treatment reached the highest value of 703.22μg / g and 651.89μg / g, which were significantly higher than those of the untreated controls (313.61μg / g, Ar; 313.68μg / g, N2) (P<0.05); the GSH content of 100-5m in Zhengdan 958 sample before and after Ar and N2 gas source low-temperature plasma treatment was the highest among all gas source treatment samples, which were 541.94μg / g and 560.56μg / g, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the untreated controls (441.89μg / g, Ar; 440.59μg / g, N2) (P<0.05).

[0055] (5) Effects of different treatment conditions on the content of total phenolics (TPC) in corn seeds

[0056] like Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the TPC of corn samples treated with the same working pressure under Ar and N2 gas sources gradually increased with the extension of treatment time, while the TPC of corn samples treated for the same length of time continued to increase with the increase of working pressure.

[0057] (6) Effects of different treatment conditions on fatty acid values ​​in corn seeds

[0058] like Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the fatty acid value of corn after treatment with Ar and N2 gas source low temperature plasma showed an overall downward trend. After treatment with Ar and N2 gas source low temperature plasma, the fatty acid value of 100-5m in each sample of Huanong 866 was the lowest, 14.90mg NaOH / 100g and 15.55mg NaOH / 100g, respectively, which was significantly lower than the untreated controls (34.15mg NaOH / 100g, Ar; 34.11mgNaOH / 100g, N2) (P < 0.05); after treatment with two gas source low temperature plasma, the fatty acid value of 100-5m in each sample of Zhengdan 958 was significantly reduced to the lowest value (25.22mg NaOH / 100g, Ar; 29.73mg NaOH / 100g, N2) compared with the untreated controls (47.22mgNaOH / 100g, Ar; 47.60mgNaOH / 100g, N2) (P < 0.05).

[0059] (7) Effects of different treatment conditions on the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in corn seeds

[0060] like Figure 7As shown in the data, except for the sample with working pressure of 75Pa under Ar gas source, the MDA contents in the other samples of the two corns after treatment with Ar and N2 gas source low-temperature plasma showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing, and the MDA content of sample 100-5m after Ar gas source treatment was significantly reduced to the lowest value (0.12μmol / g, Huanong 866; 0.21μmol / g, Zhengdan 958), and the MDA content of sample 75-1m after N2 gas source treatment was significantly reduced to the lowest value (0.11μmol / g, Huanong 866; 0.21μmol / g, Zhengdan 958) (P<0.05).

[0061] The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0062] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: placing corn seeds in a vacuum state, then injecting a working gas, adjusting the working gas pressure, and performing glow discharge low-temperature plasma treatment at a specific power and treatment time to improve the antioxidant properties of the corn.

2. The method for improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum degree of the vacuum state is 10Pa.

3. The method for improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power is 50W.

4. The method for improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working gas is argon and / or nitrogen.

5. The method for improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working gas pressure is 75-125Pa.

6. The method for improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology according to claim 5, characterized in that: The pressure of the working gas pressure is 100Pa.

7. The method for improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology according to claim 1, characterized in that: The glow discharge low-temperature plasma treatment lasts for 1-10 minutes.

8. The method for improving the antioxidant property of corn by using glow discharge low-temperature plasma technology according to claim 7, characterized in that: The glow discharge low-temperature plasma treatment lasts for 5 minutes.

9. The use of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The application is any of the following: A: Application in improving the antioxidant capacity of corn; B: Application in improving corn quality; C: Application in corn processing and preservation.

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