Behaviour of granular starches in low-pressure glow plasma

Granular starches of nine botanical origins were exposed to low-pressure glow plasma generated in the air from either a high voltage DC supply or an AC inductor. Experiments with low energy air-plasma (10−2 Torr) and starches provided insight into some details of their surface structure. Starches were partly oxidized to carboxylic starches and partly depolymerized. Their affinity to plasma depended on their botanical origin. The structure of starch granules seemed to be a crucial factor, which determined the behaviour of starches in plasma. Lipids and/or proteins stabilized polysaccharides to plasma being preferentially decomposed.