Effect of Pulsed Electric Field on Germination Activity of Malting Barley

Pulse electric field(PEF)was introduced into the process of barley malt preparation to investigate its effect on barley germination indices and malt physicochemical properties by treating the seeds at the electric field intensity of 1.5,3.0,4.5,6.0 and 7.5 kV/cm,respectively. The results showed that PEF treatment obviously improved length of sprout,length and numbers of root,fresh and dry weight,germination potential,germination rate,simplified vigor index,reduced sugar content,β-glucanase activity,α- and β-amylase activity,soluble protein,and amino nitrogen content,by increasing the germination energy with 38.96%,the root length with 43.33%,β-glucanase activity with 21.46%,α-amylase activity with 26.48%,and β-amylase activity with 23.57%,respectively. The principal component analysis for the 14 indices demonstrated that the best effect of the PEF on the germination of barley could be attained at the electric filed intensity of 6.0 kV/cm.