Bean protein is a cost effective and environmentally conservative protein resource that has economic advantages over more expensive meat and dairy-based proteins which are most commonly used to meet the world’s nutritional demand. Beans are primarily consumed as baked or canned beans but there is a growing interest in its utilization as a protein ingredient. The conventional techniques for bean protein production involve the use of solvents, concentrated acids and alkali which results in protein denaturation and solubility loss. The drawbacks here are many, the most important question is that while the protein compositions might be there but has the protein remained ‘vital’ – that is, functional and fully bioavailable – under harsh processing conditions? What is the life-cycle cost of recovering and recycling the solvents?
Advanced CERT Canada Inc. (AdCERT) is a start-up research and development company specializing in Engineering, Consulting and R&D Services primarily in chemical engineering and biotechnology. AdCERT has begun exploring and developing a novel cost effective dry separation technology to produce protein-rich flour from pulses and grains without consuming solvents and chemicals. The patent-pending technology pioneered by Advanced CERT Canada preserves the bio-functionality of the ingredients and averts toxic microbial contamination which is common in wet processes. Advanced CERT Canada has designed and fabricated a prototype, separating the proteins from the flours of proteinaceous grain crops. The results from the prototype testing have been very encouraging, raising the protein content of White Bean Flour from ~24% to as high as 52% in the protein-rich fraction. AdCERT is exploring multi-stage separation to achieve improved separation efficiency and product recovery. With one quarter of this current project done, AdCERT has assessed the functionality of bean protein powders produced by different methods (wet & dry) via several physico-chemical methods. Preliminary indications are that the dry separation technology invented by AdCERT preserves the vital nature, structure, and functionality of protein. Various refinements on the process are planned and being executed.
This project was funded in part through GF2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of GF2 in Ontario.
Source: AAC