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.