Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of treatment with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma followed by complexation with resveratrol on the physicochemical properties and digestibility of green banana starch. The results showed that DBD plasma treatment improved the complexation between banana starch and resveratrol. Compared with unmodified banana starch, the solubility, retrogradation properties, oil-holding capacity, gelatinization temperature (the onset gelatinization temperature (To), peak gelatinization temperature (Tp) and conclusion gelatinization temperature (Tc) increased from 64.10, 71.14 and 73.92 ℃ to 70.18, 75.79 and 82.53 ℃, respectively) and digestibility of the complex were significantly improved, while the swelling power and freeze-thaw stability were reduced. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that DBD plasma treatment produced more starch fragments and etched the starch surface. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that resveratrol combined with banana starch through CH-π bond, which made the structure of the complex more compact and orderly, forming a non V-type inclusion complex with high crystallinity. Therefore, plasma treatment and then complexation with polyphenols can improve the processing properties of banana starch, which will contribute to the development of new health foods.

Key words: banana starch; dielectric barrier discharge plasma; resveratrol