Deciphering the role of curcumin in structural changes of bovine serum albumin induced by cold plasma irradiation. A structural assessment

Cold plasma treatment is a revolutionary technique that is used in industry to sterilize food and materials. The Cold Plasma mechanism relies on producing reactive oxygen species, but it also has disadvantages for biological materials. To prevent any negative effects, it is crucial to preserve protein stability during Cold plasma treatment. This research assessed the effects of cold plasma treatment on BSA in 30s, 60s, 120s, and 180s. Curcumin has been tested to assess its protective function against structural changes in proteins during cold plasma treatment. The effect of cold plasma on the structural changes of BSA in the presence and absence of curcumin were evaluated using UV-visible spectroscopy, autofluorescence spectroscopy, ANS fluorescence spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, thermal aggregation assay, and DPPH assay. Further investigation has been carried out by conducting molecular dynamic simulation. Curcumin, an antioxidant, has been shown to reduce structural changes in proteins when treated with cold plasma, according to our study. Curcumin in food sterilization process by cold plasma can be used to prevent protein content changes.