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EP-4739133-A1 - AUGMENTING PROTEIN CONTENT OF RAPESEED PROTEIN MEAL

EP4739133A1EP 4739133 A1EP4739133 A1EP 4739133A1EP-4739133-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for augmenting the protein content of rapeseed protein meal, and to a composition useful in a process for improving the protein content of rapeseed protein meal.

Inventors

  • GUILONARD, Lambertus Jacobus Otto
  • QIU, Weixi
  • ZHA, Ying

Assignees

  • DSM IP Assets B.V.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240704

Claims (14)

  1. 1 . A process for augmenting the protein content of a plant protein meal, comprising incubating the plant protein meal in the presence of enzyme activities, wherein the enzyme activities comprise: a) a pectinase, b) a cellulase, and wherein the pH of the incubation mixture is at least 3.6 and wherein the plant protein meal is hexane extracted rapeseed meal, said method further comprising separating the dry matter from the liquid matter and collecting the dry matter to obtain an augmented plant protein meal.
  2. 2. A process according to claim 1 , wherein: a) the pectinase is present in an amount of at least 1500 AVJP units per gram of protein of the dry plant protein meal starting material, and b) the cellulase is present in an amount of at least 30 CXU units per gram of protein of the dry plant protein meal starting material.
  3. 3. A process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pectinase comprises arabinofuranosidase activity, and wherein the arabinofuranosidase activity is present in an amount of at least 20 ARF units per gram of protein of the dry plant protein meal starting material.
  4. 4. A process according to claim 3, wherein the cellulase comprises one or more of activities selected from the group consisting of: a galactosidase, a glucanase, a mannanase, and a xylanase.
  5. 5. A process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pH of the incubation mixture at the start of the incubation is at least 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, 4.1 , 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, or at least pH 4.5.
  6. 6. A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the temperature of the incubation mixture is between 35 °C and 60 °C, and/or wherein the incubation time is between 1 and 72 hours, preferably between 2 and 28 hours, more preferably between 4 and 24 hours.
  7. 7. A process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plant protein meal is processed substantially immediately after oil extraction and solvent evaporation, preferably without a drying step.
  8. 8. A process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an additional enzyme is present, preferably a hemicellulase and/or an endoglucanase and/or wherein the additional enzyme is a protease, preferably an acid protease, preferably an acid endoprotease, preferably a fungal acid endoprotease, preferably an aspergillopepsin I protease, preferably derived from an Aspergillus, such as Aspergillus niger.
  9. 9. A process according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising mixing rapeseed meal with water to form a slurry and/or washing the pellet and/or drying the pellet, separating the dry matter from the liquid matter.
  10. 10. A plant protein meal obtainable by any one of claims 1 to 9.
  11. 11. A food- or feed product comprising a plant protein meal according to claim 10.
  12. 12. Use of a plant protein meal according to claim 10 in the preparation of a food- or feed product.
  13. 13. A process for the production of a food- or feed product, comprising contacting a plant protein meal according to claim 10 with a food- or feed product.
  14. 14. An enzyme composition comprising a pectinase and a cellulase, wherein: a) the ratio of the pectinase activity I cellulase activity is between: 50 AVJP units - 500 AVJP units pectinase 1 1 CXU units - 10CXU units cellulase; and wherein optionally, b) the ratio of arabinofuranosidase activity I cellulase activity is between: 0.7 ARF units - 7 ARF units arabinofuranosidase / 1 CXU units - 10CXU units cellulase.

Description

AUGMENTING PROTEIN CONTENT OF RAPESEED PROTEIN MEAL Field The invention relates to a process for augmenting the protein content of plant protein meal, and to a composition useful in a process for improving the protein content of plant protein meal. Background Protein is a main feature of human and animal nutrition. This may be sourced from animals (e.g. meat, fish, egg, dairy) or from plants, such as vegetables. There is a general desire to reduce the amount of animal based protein. The use of egg protein is often undesirable. For example, due to problems with egg allergies, medical problems associated with cholesterol levels in eggs, religious restrictions/convictions, culinary preferences (such as, for example, a vegetarian or a vegan diet), cost fluctuations in the price of eggs, use of antibiotics and hormones in poultry production, and diseases associated with poultry (such as, for example, bird flu), the use of alternative proteins may be desired. The use of plant based protein in human nutrition is known, for example WO 2008/094434 discloses the use of wheat protein isolates as an alternative to the use of egg yolk protein in compositions. However, the use of wheat protein isolates may not be desirable for those with gluten allergies. The use of soy based protein instead of whey protein has been described for example in WO 2014/018922. Soy protein is widely used, however in view of some intolerances to soy products there is a need to find other sources of plant proteins. Suitable alternatives include pea protein and rapeseed protein. Rapeseed seeds are rich in oil and contain considerable amounts of protein that accounts for 17 to 25% of seed dry weight. Processing rapeseed for oil for human consumption produces rapeseed meal (60%) as a byproduct which contains about 30 to 40% protein. The rapeseed used for this purpose is usually of the varieties Brassica napus and Brassica juncea. These varieties contain only low levels of erucic acid and glucosinolates, and are also known as Canola. Canola is a contraction of Canada and "ola" (for "oil low acid"), but is now a generic term defined as rapeseed oil comprising <2% erucic acid and < 30 mmol/g glucosinolates. The resultant rapeseed meal is currently used as a high- protein animal feed. Proteins are available as hydrolysates, concentrates and isolates. Hydrolysates are proteins that have been partially broken down by exposing the protein to heat, acid or enzymes that break apart the bonds linking amino acids. This makes it taste more bitter, but also allows it to be absorbed more rapidly during digestion than a native (non-hydrolyzed) protein. Isolates are purer than concentrates, meaning other non-protein components have been partially removed to "isolate" the protein. Many concentrates are around 80% protein, which means that on a dry basis, 80% of the total weight is protein. Isolates are typically around 90% protein (dry basis). This is calculated using the Kjeldahl method. The predominant storage proteins found in rapeseed are cruciferins and napins. Cruciferins are globulins and are the major storage protein in the seed. A cruciferin is composed of 6 subunits and has a total molecular weight of approximately 300 kDa. Napins are albumins and are low molecular weight storage proteins with a molecular weight of approximately 14 kDa. Napins are more easily solubilized and in for example EP 1715752 B1 a process is disclosed to separate out the more soluble napin fraction, preferably to at least 85 wt.%. Napins are primarily proposed for use in applications where solubility is key. Rapeseed proteins can also be divided into various fractions according to the corresponding sedimentation coefficient in Svedberg units (S). This coefficient indicates the speed of sedimentation of a macromolecule in a centrifugal field. For rapeseed proteins, the main reported fractions are 12S, 7S and 2S. Cruciferin and napin are the two major families of storage proteins found in rapeseed. Napin is a 2S albumin, and cruciferin is a 12S globulin. Furthermore, Schwenke and Linow (A reversible dissociation of the 12S globulin from rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) depending on ionic strength, Nahrung (1982) 26, K5-K6) state that the cruciferin complex is present as a 300 kDa 12S hexamer when exposed to higher ionic strength (p > 0.5 mS/cm), and reversibly dissociates into 7S trimeric molecules of 150 kDa when exposed to low ionic strength conditions. It has been found that high purity rapeseed protein isolate has a broadly-based functionality in food products, unique among proteinaceous materials. The ability to utilize a protein which is plant in origin in food products enables truly vegetarian food products to be provided in instances where egg white and/or animal-derived protein have been used in the absence of any available substitute. The rapeseed protein isolate may be used in conventional applications of protein isolates, such as protein fortification of processed foods,