Abstract: Protein is an essential nutrient for the human body. Its nutritional value and functional characteristics determine the quality and stability of food processing. However, the functional properties of natural proteins cannot meet the needs of the modern food industry and thus needs to be improved. As an emerging non-thermal processing technology, cold plasma technology has the advantages of low-temperature operation, no need for chemical reagents and low cost. It can retain the nutritional value of proteins to the maximum while improving the functional properties. This paper summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of different generation methods for cold plasma and the current status of its application in the field of foods. Recent studies applying cold plasma to improve protein functional characteristics are systematically reviewed in order to provide theoretical support for its application in protein modification.

Key words: cold plasma; protein; functional characteristics; modification; application