Sunflower seed protein isolate and a process for producing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12193455-B2
Application number	US-201917416269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2019
Priority date	Dec 20, 2018
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A process for preparing a sunflower seed protein isolate and a protein isolate which is obtainable by such process. The process comprises the following steps: mixing a defatted seed meal with an aqueous NaCl solution at a basic pH; separating said solubilised protein solution from solids; diafiltering said solubilised protein solution through an ultrafiltration membrane system using an aqueous NaCl diafiltration NaCl solution and at least 2 diavolumes of said aqueous NaCl diafiltration solution, diafiltering said NaCl-diafiltered protein; concentrating said purified protein solution; and drying said purified protein concentrate to obtain a protein isolate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for preparing a sunflower protein isolate, said process comprising the following steps:
(a) providing an at least partially defatted seed meal, said seed meal being a sunflower seed meal and having a proportion of dry matter ranging from 80 wt % to 98 wt %;
(b) mixing said at least partially defatted seed meal with an aqueous NaCl solution at a pH of about 6 to 8, in order to solubilize proteins present in said at least partially defatted seed meal and to thus obtain a solubilized protein solution, wherein said aqueous NaCl solution has a NaCl concentration ranging from 0 to 1.2 mol·L −1 ;
(c) separating said solubilized protein solution from solids therein;
(d) diafiltering said solubilized protein solution through an ultrafiltration membrane system having a molecular weight cutoff of 1 to 100 kDa, said diafiltering step being effected using:
an aqueous NaCl diafiltration solution having a NaCl concentration ranging from 0.1 to 0.6 mol·L −1 ; and
at least 2 diavolumes of said aqueous NaCl diafiltration solution, to obtain a NaCl-diafiltered protein solution;

(e) subsequently to step (d), diafiltering said NaCl-diafiltered protein solution through an ultrafiltration membrane system with a molecular weight cutoff of 1 to 100 kDa, using water, to obtain a purified protein solution;
(f) concentrating said purified protein solution to obtain a purified protein concentrate; and
(g) drying said purified protein concentrate to obtain said protein isolate;
wherein said process does not contain a step of precipitation of said protein prior to the step (d).

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous NaCl solution of step (b) has a NaCl concentration ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 mol·L −1 .

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein said diafiltering step of step (d) is carried out using at least 3 to up to about 30 diavolumes of said aqueous NaCl diafiltration solution.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein prior to step b) a washing step wherein said at least partially defatted seed meal is washed with water thus producing a washing mix.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the pH of said washing mix is adjusted to range from 4 to 6.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein all of the steps are carried out at a temperature ranging from 50° C. to 60° C.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the pH of the NaCl diafiltered solution of step d) is adjusted to a pH ranging from 7 to 10 before being subjected to step (e).

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein prior to step d) the solubilized protein solution is microfiltrated through a filtration membrane having a nominal pore size ranging from 0.1 to 1 μm and retentate collected is the solubilized protein solution submitted to step d).

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein during step f) said purified protein solution is concentrated by a volumetric reduction factor of 2 or more.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein said drying step (g) is freeze drying.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein said diafiltering step of step (d) is carried out using at least 5 to up to about 30 diavolumes of said aqueous NaCl diafiltration solution.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein during step f) said purified protein solution is concentrated by a volumetric reduction factor of 4.

Assignees

• Avril
• Univ De Lorraine
• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Galet Olivier
• Kapel Romain
• Albe Slabi Sara

Classifications

• B01D61/149

  Multistep processes comprising different kinds of membrane processes selected from ultrafiltration or microfiltration · CPC title

• C07K14/415

  from plants · CPC title

• B01D2315/16

  Diafiltration · CPC title

• B01D2311/18

  pH control · CPC title

• B01D2311/10

  Temperature control · CPC title