Аннотация

Oilseed press-cakes, a by-product of the oil industry, are currently utilized primarily as animal feed. However, their high protein content and nutritional value make them a promising and sustainable alternative protein source for human nutrition. Their utilization aligns with the principles of circular economy and resource upcycling, promoting a more efficient use of agroindustrial by-products in the food sector. This research featured industrial dehulled sunflower press-cake with the protein content of 44.4% and the total phenolic content of 33.8 mg GAE/g total solids. The functional properties of the micronized press-cake and its protein extract were investigated, with a focus on the impact of ultrasound treatment. Sonication notably enhanced the water-holding capacity by 25% and the oil-holding capacity by 48% in the micronized presscake improving its suitability for applications that require moisture and lipid retention, such as baked goods and snacks. In the extracted protein fraction (72.6% protein), the ultrasound treatment improved the emulsifying capacity by 8.5% and the emulsifying stability by 17%, reinforcing its potential for protein-fortified beverages, sauces, and other emulsified foods. In this research, sonication emerged as a promising processing step worthy of further optimization, given its ability to enhance key functional properties of sunflower materials. Targeted micronization, protein extraction, and sonication made it possible to upcycle sunflower press-cake as a nutritionally valuable and sustainable ingredient in the food industry, either in its micronized form or as a concentrated protein extract.

Ключевые слова

Oilseed cake, protein-rich ingredients, alternative protein sources, upcycling, ultrasound treatment, sonication

ФИНАНСИРОВАНИЕ

The project was supported under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) (Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3; Call for tender no. 341, March 15, 2022) of Italian Ministry of University and Research and funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU (Project code PE00000003, Concession Decree no. 1550, October 11, 2022; adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP D93C22000890001, Project title: ON Foods – Research and Innovation Network on Food and Nutrition Sustainability, Safety, and Security – Working ON Foods).

СПИСОК ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ

1. Rakita S, Kokić B, Manoni M, Mazzoleni S, Lin P, et al. Cold-pressed oilseed cakes as alternative and sustainable feed ingredients: A review. Foods. 2023;12(3):432. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030432
2. Arrutia F, Binner E, Williams P, Waldron KW. Oilseeds beyond oil: Press cakes and meals supplying global protein requirements. Trends in Food Science and Technology. 2020;100:88–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.03.044
3. Petraru A, Ursachi F, Amariei S. Nutritional characteristics assessment of sunflower seeds, oil and cake. Perspective of using sunflower oilcakes as a functional ingredient. Plants. 2021;10(11):2487. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112487
4. Grasso S, Omoarukhe E, Wen X, Papoutsis K, Methven L. The use of upcycled defatted sunflower seed flour as a functional ingredient in biscuits. Foods. 2019;8(8):305. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8080305
5. Girotto F, Merlino M, Giovanelli G, Condurso C, Piazza L. Unveiling the potential of micronized dehulled sunflower press‐cake: A breakthrough in sustainable plant‐based protein‐rich sport beverages. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2024;59(7):4784–4796. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.17208
6. Lazaro E, Benjamin Y, Robert M. The effects of dehulling on physicochemical properties of seed oil and cake quality of sunflower. Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2014;13(1):41–47.
7. Chang L, Shi R, Dai F, Zhao W, Zhao Y, et al. Current Flaxseed Dehulling Technology in China. Agriculture. 2024;14(4):632. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14040632
8. Rommi K, Holopainen U, Pohjola S, Hakala TK, Lantto R, et al. Impact of particle size reduction and carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzyme treatment on protein recovery from rapeseed (Brassica rapa L.) press cake. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 2015;8:2392–2399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-015-1587-8
9. Dhiman A, Prabhakar PK. Micronization in food processing: A comprehensive review of mechanistic approach, physicochemical, functional properties and self-stability of micronized food materials. Journal of Food Engineering. 2021;292:110248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2020.110248
10. Singh R, Langyan S, Sangwan S, Rohtagi B, Khandelwal A, et al. Protein for human consumption from oilseed cakes: A review. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 2022;6:856401. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.856401
11. Higuera-Barraza OA, Del Toro-Sanchez CL, Ruiz-Cruz S, Márquez-Ríos E. Effects of high-energy ultrasound on the functional properties of proteins. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. 2016;31:558–562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2016.02.007
12. Girotto F, Ceccanti C, Narra F, Piazza L. Investigating the suitability of sunflower press-cake proteins in formulated sport beverages. Food & Function. 2025;16:1992. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4fo04530k
13. AOAC. Official methods of analysis of the association of official analytical chemists international. Methods: 934.01, 923.03, 920.39, 954.01. 22nd Edition. Rockville: AOAC International; 2023.
14. Slabi SA, Mathe C, Basselin M, Framboisier X, Ndiaye M, et al. Multi-objective optimization of solid/liquid extraction of total sunflower proteins from cold press meal. Food Chemistry. 2020;317:126423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126423
15. Dewanto V, Wu X, Adom KK, Liu RH. Thermal processing enhances the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing total antioxidant activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2002;50(10):3010–3014. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf0115589
16. Siddiq M, Nasir M, Ravi R, Dolan KD, Butt MS. Effect of defatted maize germ addition on the functional and textural properties of wheat flour. International Journal of Food Properties. 2009;12(4):860–870. https://doi.org/10.1080/10942910802103028
17. Waghmare AG, Salve MK, LeBlanc JG, Arya SS. Concentration and characterization of microalgae proteins from Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Bioresources and Bioprocessing. 2016;3:16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40643-016-0094-8
18. Weisz GM, Kammerer DR, Carle R. Identification and quantification of phenolic compounds from sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) kernels and shells by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MSn. Food chemistry. 2009;115(2):758–765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.12.074
19. Wildermuth SR, Young EE, Were LM. Chlorogenic acid oxidation and its reaction with sunflower proteins to form green‐colored complexes. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2016;15(5):829–843. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12213
20. Vermeir I, Roose G. Visual design cues impacting food choice: A review and future research agenda. Foods. 2020;9(10):1495. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9101495
21. Biswas KM, DeVido DR, Dorsey JG. Evaluation of methods for measuring amino acid hydrophobicities and interactions. Journal of Chromatography A. 2003;1000(1–2):637–655. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9673(03)00182-1
22. Du S, Jiang H, Yu X, Jane J. Physicochemical and functional properties of whole legume flour. LWT – Food Science and Technology. 2013;55(1):308–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2013.06.001
23. Arruda TR, Vieira P, Silva BM, Freitas TD, do Amaral AJB, et al. What are the prospects for ultrasound technology in food processing? An update on the main effects on different food matrices, drawbacks, and applications. Journal of Food Process Engineering. 2021;44(11):e13872. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.13872
24. Chen J, Chen X, Zhou G, Xu X. Ultrasound: A reliable method for regulating food component interactions in protein-based food matrices. Trends in food science and technology. 2022;128:316–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2022.08.014
25. Umaña M, Calahorro M, Eim V, Rosselló C, Simal S. Measurement of microstructural changes promoted by ultrasound application on plant materials with different porosity. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. 2022;88:106087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2022.106087
26. Wang T, Wang N, Li N, Ji X, Zhang H, et al. Effect of high-intensity ultrasound on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, and stability of soy protein isolate-pectin emulsion. Ultrasonics sonochemistry. 2022;82:105871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2021.105871