New Canola Processing Could Boost Protein and Oil Profits

Scientists Find Way to Use Every Part of the Canola Seed

While canola oil remains the crop’s main commercial product, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are working to unlock additional value from the plant, which was first developed in the 1970s. Canada’s canola sector contributes an estimated $43.7 billion annually to the national economy, according to the Canola Council of Canada. 

Graduate engineering student Runrong Yin and Edgar Martinez Soberanes, who completed this research during his PhD and now works in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources, are investigating a new processing approach that could allow companies to better utilize every part of the canola seed. Their work relies on analysis conducted at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron facility at USask. 

A canola seed contains a tightly bound outer hull and an inner kernel. In conventional processing, the entire seed is crushed to extract oil, leaving behind a meal that includes both hull and protein. This byproduct is typically used as low-grade cattle feed or discarded. Separating the hull from the kernel before crushing could create additional high-value products beyond oil. 

Up to 30 per cent of the canola kernel is protein, making it a promising plant-based protein source, according to Martinez Soberanes. “My colleague has used canola meal to make high-protein crackers, but it could be used in many other foods too,” he says. “I can picture it in a variety of products on grocery store shelves.” 

Canola protein may also serve as premium feed for fish and poultry. Meanwhile, the hull contains omega-7 oil, a highly valuable product. “About $5 could buy you a kilogram of canola oil, but for canola hull oil you’d need to pay $7,000,” says Yin. 

The team developed a method using heat, cooling, and moisture to create a small gap between the hull and kernel, verified using non-destructive synchrotron X-rays. “It’s like breaking open a peanut shell. The gap inside helps to separate the nut and it protects the nut when the shell is crushed,” Martinez Soberanes explains. 

The researchers believe the process could be integrated into existing facilities, though further work is needed to scale it commercially. “We want to be able to utilize everything from canola: the oil, kernel, and hull,” says Yin. “Being able to separate these components of the seeds makes this possible.” 

Looking ahead, Martinez Soberanes adds, “We feel confident that we can provide an increase to the value that canola already has that will benefit Saskatchewan and Canada.”

Photo Credit: pexels-jean-van-der-meulen