To investigate the inducing effect of dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma (DBD-CP) technology (treatment voltages: 30, 90, 150 kV, treatment times: 30, 60, 90 s) on the conformational changes of whey protein isolate (WPI)-chitosan (CS) composite particles and its regulatory effect on the loading performance of anthocyanins (ACNs), this study employed a two-factor full factorial experimental design. By systematically evaluating the encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading capacity (LC), ζ-potential, and particle size distribution of the composite particles for ACNs, the optimal DBD-CP treatment parameters were screened. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence spectroscopy (FS), and circular dichroism (CD) were utilized as multi-scale characterization techniques to deeply analyze the DBD-CP-induced molecular conformational changes in WPI-CS. Based on the results of the above systematic evaluation, the optimal DBD-CP treatment parameters were screened and determined as voltage 90 kV and time 60 s. Under this optimal parameter set, the EE and LC of ACNs increased to 91.93% and 4.59%, respectively, significantly higher than those of the untreated group (P<0.05). The ζ-potential increased, enhancing electrostatic repulsion between particles and significantly improving system stability. Particle size analysis showed that distribution uniformity and particle dispersibility were improved. Structural characterization revealed that: Reactive species (e.g., electrons, ions) in DBD-CP promoted the exposure of hydrophobic groups in WPI and decreased the deacetylation degree of CS through oxidative modification, thereby enhancing the formation of hydrogen bonding and electrostatic cross-linking networks, simultaneously, the plasma etching effect optimized the pore uniformity of the complex, forming a dense encapsulation structure. DBD-CP treatment effectively modulated the structure of WPI-CS composite particles through synergistic effects (oxidative modification induced by reactive species and the etching effect), significantly improving their loading performance for ACNs and the system stability. This provides a theoretical basis for the application of cold plasma technology in stabilized delivery systems for bioactive components.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |