In this study, myofibrillar proteins (MPs) of thawed pork were treated with plasma-activated water (PAW) generated at different times (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 s) to investigate whether the function of MPs is improved through PAW and the corresponding regulatory mechanism. The results found that PAW treatments increased the surface hydrophobicity and altered the secondary and tertiary structure of MPs. The α-helix content of MPs treated by PAW reduced from 37.3% to 31.25%. In the PAW25s group, the oxidation of MPs was significantly raised, reflected by the higher carbonyl content and lower total sulfhydryl content compared with other groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, PAW treatments increased the whiteness and improved the strength, immobilized water contents, resilience, chewiness, and adhesiveness of MP gels. The observation of intermolecular forces and microstructure of MP gels presented an increase in ionic bonding, disulfide bonding, and hydrophobic interactions but a decrease in hydrogen bonding in MP gels with PAW treatments, leading to more homogeneous and denser gel structures compared with the control group. In conclusion, PAW, with a short generation time, significantly fixed and enhanced the function of MPs extracted from thawed pork and, to some extent, improved the processing quality of the MPs of thawed pork.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of plasma-activated water (PAW) combined with a chitosan–oregano essential oil (CS-OEO) coating on the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory attributes of carp fillets during chilled storage. Fresh carp fillets were immersed in sterile deionized water, PAW, CS-OEO, and PAW+CS-OEO, respectively, and stored at 4 °C for 10 d. The results showed that plasma-activated water combined with chitosan–oregano essential oil could effectively inhibit the microbial growth in carp fillets during chilled storage. At 10 d storage, the total viable count of carp fillets treated with PAW+CS-OEO decreased by 2.87 log₁₀ CFU/g when compared to the control. The lowest pH values were found in the carp fillet samples after the PAW+CS-OEO treatment; as well, the carp fillet samples after the PAW+CS-OEO treatment showed the lowest total volatile basic nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance values, and K values. In addition, the carp fillets in the PAW+CS-OEO treatment group showed the smallest color changes and the highest scores in sensory properties during chilled storage. This study provides a basis for the potential application of plasma-activated water combined with chitosan–oregano essential oil in the preservation of carp fillets and contributes to developing a new food packaging.

In this study, myofibrillar proteins (MPs) of thawed pork were treated with plasma-activated water (PAW) for diverse durations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 s) to investigate whether the function of MPs improved by PAW and the corresponding regulatory mechanism. The results found that PAW treatments increased the surface hydrophobicity, altered secondary and tertiary structure of MPs. The α-helix content of MPs treated by PAW reduced from 37.3% to 31.25%. In PAW25s group, the oxidation of MPs significantly raised reflected by the higher carbonyl content and lower total sulfhydryl content compared to other groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, PAW treatments increased the whiteness, improved the strength, immobilized water contents, resilience, chewiness, and adhesiveness of MP gels. The observation of intermolecular forces and microstructure of MP gels presented the increase in ionic bonding, disulfide bonding, and hydrophobic interactions, but decrease in hydrogen bonding in MP gels with PAW treatments, leading to more homogeneous and denser gel structures compared to control group. In conclusion, PAW treatment for a short duration significantly fixed and enhanced the function of MPs extracted from thawed pork, and to some extent, improved the processing quality of MPs of thawed pork.