Pulsed electric field assisted juice extraction from alfalfa

摘要

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on alfalfa juice extraction. Alfalfa mash was produced by blending alfalfa leaves. Approximately 40 g of the mash were subjected to PEF treatment of 200 pulses at 1 Hz in two successions. Each PEF treatment was followed by pressure application at 2 and 4 MPa, respectively. White protein was separated from green protein and the mineral content of the various components of the samples was determined. PEF treatment increased extraction of juice from alfalfa mash by 38% compared to non-PEF-treated samples. Dry matter, protein content, and mineral content of PEF treated samples were significantly (P<0.05) higher than non-PEF samples. Extraction of white protein was enhanced by the PEF treatment.