Aqueous fractionation of mucilage and protein from Camelina sativa seeds and defatted meal

Authors: Evangelista, Roque; Hojilla-Evangelista, Milagros - Mila; Gesch, Russell - Russ; Cermak, Steven - Steve; ISBELL, TERRY - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Industrial Crops and Products
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/29/2024
Publication Date: 9/1/2024
Citation: Evangelista, R.L., Hojilla-Evangelista, M.P., Gesch, R.W., Cermak, S.C., Isbell, T.A. 2024. Aqueous fractionation of mucilage and protein from Camelina sativa seeds and defatted meal. Industrial Crops and Products. 222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.119560.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.119560

Interpretive Summary: There is growing interest in expanding the production of camelina in the U.S. Camelina has several agronomic advantages for production, including early maturity, adaptability to freezing temperatures, and resistance to common cruciferous pests, making it suitable to be grown on lands where high valued food crops such as corn and soybean may not be feasible. Camelina oil is suitable for food use and the seed meal has been recognized as safe for inclusion in feed formulations. The increasing demand for non-meat protein for food drove research to find alternative sources of plant proteins. This study evaluated ways to produce high-protein product and mucilage from camelina seeds. High-purity mucilage and protein isolate were produced when these components were extracted sequentially from whole seed. Mucilage and protein with lower purity were obtained when defatted seeds and press cakes were used as starting materials for extraction. Adaptation of these products in food, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications will greatly improve the economics of camelina production.

Technical Abstract: Camelina protein and mucilage are being investigated as coproducts in addition to the oil. It has been reported that the significant amount of mucilage (10-11%) in the seed coat interferes with the recovery of the protein. In this work, two schemes of producing mucilage and protein fractions from camelina seeds were evaluated and proximate composition of each process stream was analyzed. In the sequential extraction process, mucilage was first separated from hydrated seeds, then oil from degummed seeds, and lastly the protein from the defatted degummed meal. In the other process, aqueous fractions rich in protein and carbohydrates were extracted simultaneously from defatted meal. Proteins were obtained by alkali solubilization and acid precipitation method. Sequential extraction produced a mucilage fraction with 15.2% protein content and a protein isolate (90.2% crude protein). Simultaneous aqueous extraction of the defatted meal produced a mucilage fraction with 48.9-50.2% protein content and a protein concentrate (67.4 and 75.6% crude protein). The whey obtained had similar protein and soluble carbohydrates contents of 24.4-26.4% and 56.5-58.2%, respectively. The difference in composition of the mucilage, protein and whey fractions produced by each process will determine the applications of these products.