Location: Bio-oils Research
2023 Annual Report
Objectives
Objective 1: Develop an analysis of new crop germplasm and agronomic traits of
oilseed crops such as camelina and industrial hemp.
• Sub-objective 1.1. Identify and develop off-season crops.
• Sub-objective 1.2. Identify and develop non-traditional oilseed crops.
Objective 2: Enable processes for the commercial production of oils, meal, gums,
waxes, and value-added products from advancing oilseed crops such as meadowfoam,
new pennycress varieties, camelina, lesquerella, osage orange, and industrial hemp.
• Sub-objective 2.1. Develop methods for the dry fractionation of mucilage and
enriched protein meal from brassica seeds (camelina and lesquerella).
• Sub-objective 2.2. Develop methods for the recovery of waxes and phospholipids
from meadowfoam oil.
• Sub-objective 2.3. Develop an integrated process to produce high-quality oil,
enriched protein meal, and purified protein from industrial hemp seeds.
• Sub-objective 2.4. Develop a sustainable isolation and purification protocol for
isoflavones and the other fruit components of osage orange.
Objective 3: Enable commercial processes by converting oils and gums from oilseed
crops into marketable new value-added bio-based products.
• Sub-objective 3.1. Develop new hydroxy oils and fatty acids.
• Sub-objective 3.2. Develop new biobased estolide lubricants or additives.
• Sub-objective 3.3. Develop niche products for industrial oils.
Approach
New off-season and oilseed crop development is critical to the future sustainability of the United States (U.S.) agriculture by reducing the farmer’s dependence on government subsidies for a select few commodity crops such as corn and soybeans, and by supplementing our need for energy without sacrificing food production. Several new crops (camelina, industrial hemp, meadowfoam, lesquerella, and osage orange) will be further developed for the U.S. by developing cost-effective industrial products and processes from these agricultural feedstocks. A collaborative effort in the development of camelina and industrial hemp will occur: 1) Both off-season and new crop germplasm development will be supported through developing analytical methods to rapidly analyze tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), oil, and seed quality; 2) Development of chemical and physical processes that enable the commercial production of oils, waxes, meal, gums, proteins, and isoflavones in these oilseed crops; 3) Development of novel industrial chemicals and processes through organic synthesis based on new crop raw materials derived above; and 4) Demonstrate economic viability through the production of pilot-scale quantities of new crop raw materials and products. Products to be developed include biodegradable lubricants, biobased lubricant additives, cosmetics, and common feedstocks - hydroxy acids. Overall, this research will lead to the development and expansion of off-season and new oilseed crops, which will help diversify the U.S. farm as well as expand the U.S. arsenal of industrial biofriendly chemicals and processes.
Progress Report
In support of Objective 1, industrial hemp, a new target in this research cycle, is being investigated as a potential industrial crop for the United States with a goal of developing cost-effective industrial products and processes from all parts of the crop. A research collaboration was established with an Illinois land grant university to conduct field trials and ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, performed the chemical composition analysis of the harvested grains. The goal of this collaboration is to identify what hemp varieties are suitable for growing in the upper Midwestern United States. The second year of this collaboration involved ten commercial hemp grain and dual purpose (grain and fiber) varieties including five good performers from the previous year. The delay in planting due to frequent rain events followed by drought conditions resulted in significantly lower grain yields from all varieties in the trial. However, chemical analysis of 49 grain samples conducted by ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, showed only a slight decrease in oil contents while the protein contents stayed about the same compared with last year’s grains. The collaboration on the hemp grain field trial has been expanded to cover four upper midwestern states with the addition of three other land grant universities. This three-year project will be conducted under the Midwestern Hemp Research Collaborative: Participatory Research and Extension for Sustainable Hemp Production Systems project.
In support of Objective 2, the processing of camelina seeds to obtain additional products was conducted to improve the agronomic value of this new oilseed crop. Camelina is one of the few mustard plants that produce seeds with significant amounts of a gum-like substance, generally referred to as mucilage, contained in the seed coat. The mucilage may be utilized as a thickener and binder in pet foods, seed coating as a germination aid, and in adhesive formulations. Two approaches in recovering the mucilage from the seed were investigated. Using water to extract intact camelina seeds produced 11% mucilage with less than 1% oil and 13% protein. Mucilage yield extracted from seeds after oil extraction was higher (17%) but its protein content increased to 50%. This wet mucilage extraction process, however, uses a significant amount of water and more energy for drying. Dry separation by abrading the mucilage from the seed surface, a process similar to pearling, was also evaluated. Being a purely mechanical process, the separation of mucilage can be accomplished at a much lower cost than the water extraction process. Abrading the mucilage from whole camelina seeds was demonstrated on a 10 gram-scale using a small grain polisher. However, a less aggressive abrasive disc was needed to minimize seed breakage and improve bran separation. The process was successfully accomplished at 100-gram scale using a benchtop grain pearling machine with 60-grit abrasive roll. More abraded seeds will be produced for oil extraction and protein enrichment of the seed meal by milling.
In support of Objective 3, improved processes were developed for producing lubricants from vegetable oils. Basic physical properties were measured, and results compared favorably to lubricants produced from castor oil. Almost all the castor oil used in the United States is imported. Scale-up procedures for up to 1 kg were developed and refined with the products produced matching the initial materials. These modified vegetable oil materials were used in the development of new non-castor-based lubricants. Preliminary results show that these new lubricants perform to the same high standards as the traditional lubricants. The new lubricants have excellent physical properties and require less additives. The performance exceeded other commercially available biobased oils.
Finally, different steam cooking methods between starch and coconut fatty acids were evaluated and tested to determine the most effective release of the active ingredients of a naturally developed repellent for biting flies. The final composite had a solids content of 14.2% which was composed of 45.0% coconut fatty acids, 55.0% starch, and 85.8% water. The actual amount of coconut fatty acids contained in the formulation was 6.6 wt.%. The starch encapsulated coconut fatty acid composite was warmed in a hot water bath and stirred well before testing on biting flies. It is projected that the U.S. cattle industry loses over $2.4 billion annually from biting flies. Strong repellency from the coconut fatty acids was demonstrated against blood-sucking insects (stable flies and horn flies), with levels of repellency that were better than DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide).
Accomplishments
1. A simple and low-cost process for enriching oil and protein content of silphium seed meal. Silphium integrifolium (rosinweed, silflower), a perennial relative of the sunflower that is native to the Great Plains and other parts of North America, is currently being domesticated as a new oilseed crop to diversify grain agriculture. Perennial plants like Silphium have deep roots that can access water and nutrients, thus are able to withstand drought conditions that will be more common as climate changes escalate. To foster increased commercial production, ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, conducted laboratory-scale seed processing of silphium seed to extract the oil and produce defatted meal with enriched protein content. They demonstrated that by roller milling, sifting, and air classification, the fibrous portion of silphium seeds can be reduced significantly, resulting in fractions with much higher oil and protein content than the whole seed. This simple and low-cost process reduced the amount of material, thus increasing the throughput of the oil extractor. In addition, the deoiled low fiber seed meal had a protein content approaching that of soy protein concentrate. Removing the fibrous part of the seed is now incorporated in the seed cleaning process. Successful commercialization of silphium provides an additional new crop for farmers as well as to processors and consumers as new grains enter the market. Finally, silphium provides farmers located in climatic challenged areas additional options to continue their farming traditions.
2. A process for large scale production of castor-like oil (hydroxy oils) for use in various products. Castor oil is the only industrial hydroxy oil available and is primarily imported from India, Brazil, and China. Hydroxy oils are used in a wide range of industrial products such as resins, waxes, nylons, plastics, lubricants, cosmetics, and additives in coatings and paints. ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, have developed an economical large scale catalysis process to produce castor-like oils from any agriculturally sourced vegetable oil. In simple terms, industrial hydroxy oils can be made from any vegetable oil allowing farmers to compete with imported castor oil. These new materials are beneficial to farmers, consumers, and retailers because they are environmentally friendly, improve utilization of United States based oil seed crops (soybean and sunflower), and enhance economic security for rural communities.
Review Publications
Evangelista, R.L., Hojilla-Evangelista, M.P., Cermak, S.C., Van Tassel, D.L. 2022. Physical properties and processing of Silphium integrifolium seeds to obtain oil and enriched protein meal. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 100(1):81-89. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12660.
Hojilla-Evangelista, M.P., Evangelista, R.L., Selling, G.W., Ulmasov, T. 2023. Extraction and properties of proteins in covercress, new pennycress varieties developed as cover crop and alternative plant protein source. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 100(4):329-341. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12675.
Wang, Y., Evangelista, R.L., Scaboo, A., Gruen, I., Bancroft, M., Vardhanabhuti, B. 2023. Physical and sensory properties of soy-based ice cream formulated with cold-pressed high oleic low linolenic soybean oil. Journal of Food Science. 88(6):2629-2641. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.16587.
Moser, B.R., Cermak, S.C., Doll, K.M., Kenar, J.A., Sharma, B.K. 2022. A review of fatty epoxide ring opening reactions: Chemistry, recent advances, and applications. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 99(10):801-842. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12623.
Winfield, D.D., Moser, B.R. 2023. Selective hydroxyalkoxylation of epoxidized methyl oleate by an amphiphilic ionic liquid catalyst. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 100(3):237-243. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12672.
Yosief, H.O., Sarker, M.I., Bantchev, G.B., Dunn, R.O., Cermak, S.C. 2022. Chemical modification of beef tallow for lubricant application. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. 61(27):9889-9900. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.2c01207.
Lehmann, A., Brewer, G., Boxler, D.D., Zhu, J.J., Hanford, K., Taylor, D.B., Kenar, J.A., Cermak, S.C., Hogsette, Jr, J.A. 2023. A push-pull strategy to suppress stable fly (Diptera: Muscidae) attacks on pasture cattle using a coconut oil fatty acid repellent and attractant lures. Pest Management Science. 79(9):3050-3057. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7480.
