Modification of pigments content in red clover sprouts with the use of pulsed electric field

Abstract

An innovative issue in food engineering is using the impulse electric field (PEF) in modeling the content of biologically active compounds in plant raw materials, including seeds. In the described experiment it was shown that it is possible to modify the carotenoid content in germinating seeds of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) by treating the seeds with PEF before cultivation. The research material was the seeds of red clover ‘Rozeta’ variety. As a result of the conducted research, an increase in the content of lutein and zaaxanthin by 10% and β-carotene by 16% was obtained after the sprouts were subjected to a field of 5 kV/cm intensity.