High pressure induced effects on free amino acid generation in mung bean sprouts during preservation after trigger pressurization

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential for improving the quality of mung bean sprouts by using high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). Mung bean sprouts were subjected to HHP treatments of 200, 400, or 600 MPa at 25 ℃ for 10 min. Treated and untreated samples were preserved for 0–8 days at 4 ℃, and then analyzed to determine changes in amino acid concentration. The total amino acid concentration of samples treated at 200 and 400 MPa increased linearly during the preservation period. The amino acid concentration of treated samples was 2–3 times higher than that of untreated samples after 4 and 8 days of preservation. Moreover, the trend of increases in amino acid concentrations was different; thus, HHP treatment might have improved not only proteolysis, but also amino acid metabolism in mung bean sprouts. Taken together, this study demonstrates that HHP treatment is an attractive method to develop value-added foods.