The Governors of the University of Alberta

Published purpose

Canadian oilseeds and pulse crops are uniquely situated to respond to the challenge of supplying the rapidly growing needs for protein ingredients to support the growing world population. However, the poor extractability, recovery and functionality of plant proteins associated with current processing methods are a barrier that limit their applications in both food and feed areas. This gap exists because the protein quality is influenced not only by processing conditions (e.g. heat, shear forces) during protein extraction but also by interactions with other biopolymers in the seeds (carbohydrates and polyphenols). The Project aims to generate foundational knowledge on the interactions between protein and different biopolymers in protein fractions associated with current processing in relation to protein structure-functional properties. The new knowledge generated will be applied for the rational design of technology innovations to generate cost- effective protein ingredients with good functional properties to create palatable and healthy food products from pea and canola