Abstract: The effect of high-voltage electrostatic field (HVEF) treatment on the contents of bioactive components and antioxidant activity in peanut sprouts during germination was investigated in this study. The results indicated that the average hypocotyl length of peanut sprouts treated by 400 kV/m HVEF was significantly greater than that of the control. The total phenol content of peanut sprouts treated with 400 kV/m HVEF was enhanced by 22.09% when compared with the control on the 7th day of germination. The maximum total flavonoid content appeared on the 5th day. At this time, the total flavonoid content of peanut sprouts treated with 300 kV/m HVEF was 19.91% higher than that of the control (P < 0.05). The resveratrol contents of peanut sprout treated with 400 and 450 kV/m HVEF were significantly increased by 32.46% and 20.94% relative to the control (P < 0.05), respectively. The antioxidant capacity of peanut sprouts subjected to HVEF treatment at 300 and 400 kV/m was stronger than that of the control during the whole germination period. Hence, HVEF pretreatment could improve the contents of several bioactive compounds and consequently health benefits in peanut sprouts.

Key words: peanut sprouts, high-voltage electrostatic field, bioactive components, antioxidant activity