High‐voltage atmospheric cold plasma treatment of different types of starch films

High voltage atmospheric cold plasma is a novel, environment-friendly technology which has gained significant attention in the recent decades. It has shown promising results for surface modification and decontamination. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of high voltage atmospheric plasma treatment at 80 kV for 5 minutes on starch films of different origins (rice, potato, tapioca, corn) with varying amylose content. Cold plasma treatment resulted in an increase in glass transition temperature, surface roughness and surface oxygenation for all the films. Rice starch films with low amylose content were found to be most susceptible whereas corn starch films with high amylose content showed the least changes in the physical or chemical properties after cold plasma treatments. The results clearly indicate that amylose content and the starch source plays an important role in determining its interaction with cold plasma.