Phumon Sookwong^1,, Sittidet Yodpitak¹, Jenjira Doungkaew¹, Jaruwan Jurithayo¹, Dheerawan Boonyawan², Sugunya Mahatheeranont^{1, 3}

This is the first study to apply plasma technology for improving nutrition value of cereal products. Cold plasma, a mixture of oxygen and argon plasma, was applied to rice seeds before pre-germination process. Plasma condition of 10 watts, 5 seconds, and 5 millimeters distance and 10 watts, 5 seconds, and 8 millimeters distance created high germination rates of pre-germinated brown rice. The latter conditions gave the grains with longer roots and bodies. Plasma treatment could result in increasing contents of total phenolics and γ-aminobutyric acid. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed 13 identifiable compounds: simple phenolic compounds; pyrans; furan; quinone; and fatty acids, in which biosyntheses of these 13 compounds were likely to be promoted by the plasma processing. These findings suggest that plasma technology could provide better quality pre-germinated brown rice.

plasma, pre-germination brown rice, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, phenolics, γ-aminobutyric acid