Edible Oils
SUSTAINABLE PROCESSING OF OILSEEDS
Oil bodies (OBs) are subcellular droplets of oil (1-3 µm), covered with a protein-rich half unit membrane; commonly associated with oilseeds, OBs provide energy for germination in-vivo. These natural, renewable emulsions are extractable from seeds without the use of organic solvents (see figure below).
Through a LINK project entitled 'ABIPO' - Antioxidant-Based Industrial Products from Oats: December 2002 - December 2005, we recovered and characterised oat-grain oil bodies which are enriched in the bran and germ of the groat.
SIPOS - 'Sustainable Industrial Processing of Oilseeds' - ran from December 2005 to April 2009. It was funded through the DTI Technology Programme, technology Priority - Bio Based Industrial Products. Together with colleagues in pharmacy and animal science we were tasked with industrial partners to test out innovative ways of processing oilseeds to yield added value products.
Most recently DEFRA has supported a LINK project 'SEIBI' (Sustainable Emulsion Ingredients through Bio-Innovation); January 2010 - December 2012. This project will establish: a range of functional properties of oil bodies; tackle new ways of recovering oil bodies; and carry out Life Cycle Analyses to assess the environmental impact of recovering oil bodies compared with conventional oil extraction methods.
For further information please contact Dr David Gray