Pulsed electric field-enhanced phenolic release, profiling, and antioxidant enhancement in cold-pressed rapeseed oil

Cell-wall sequestration intact Brassica napus seeds severely restricts phenolic recovery during conventional processing, thereby limiting cold-pressed oil quality. Fifteen Yunnan winter accessions were screened for total phenolic content, and the three highest-ranking were selected for pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment and profiling using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS-TQD), antioxidant activity, and oxidative markers. Optimal PEF-treatment (7 kV/cm; 10 Hz; 1 min) enhanced phenolic release and migration, increasing from 308.70 to 1204.52 mg GAE/100 g, with rutin and kaempferol showing cultivar-dependent, PEF-exclusive detection. PEF enhanced antioxidant activities while reducing peroxide values by up to 71.2%. Electron spin resonance (ESR) indicated reduced lipid radical signal after PEF, while proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹HNMR) and gas chromatography (GC) showed comparable fatty acid profiles. These results, limited to three accessions and a single time point, require broader validation and storage conditions. PEF is a promising clean-label, non-thermal strategy to enrich phenolic-bioactives in cold-pressed oil.