Giving New Life to Canola Meal

With Saskatchewan set to increase canola crushing by 75% by 2030 to help fuel the province’s booming canola oil exports, a new challenge is emerging: How do we repurpose the growing surplus of canola meal left behind after oil extraction? 

Dr. Bishnu Acharya, Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, is leading research efforts in turning this byproduct into a valuable resource. Applying his expertise in bioprocessing and conversion — methods for turning waste into useful end-products — Dr. Acharya turns canola meal into a low-cost and nutrient-dense feed for microbes used in fermentation. His research is supporting one of the fastest-growing sectors in North American biotechnology, which drives advancements in food, beverage, medicine, and other industries. 

With the support of a Mitacs-funded PhD student, his research led to the spin-off of Saskatoon-based CanXtract Innovation Inc., a company that helps reduce operating costs for fermentation-focused businesses while supporting canola oil producers. 

“There’s a big push to move away from a fossil fuel-based economy towards a bio-based economy as a means to mitigate climate change and global warming,” Dr. Acharya says. “Our work focuses on innovating new processes and products that will be crucial for this transition to work.” 

Driving Industry Solutions Through Mitacs Partnerships 

Mitacs support, along with funding from partner organizations like the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), has played a crucial role in advancing Dr. Acharya’s research.  

“The best part about Mitacs-funded collaborations is that industry becomes more aware of what’s happening at the leading edge and students get an opportunity to understand the workplace,” he expands, emphasizing the invaluable industry experience Mitacs programs have provided to his students.  

“It changes our perspective as to how to carry out our research because we’re constantly thinking about how that research can be implemented in industry.”  

The Hidden Value of Oat Hulls 

Beyond canola meal, Dr. Acharya is working with industry partner Richardson Milling Inc., one of the world’s largest oat millers, to generate value from oat hulls.  

“When grains are processed into food products, only 75% of the grain is used,” he explains. “The remaining 25% is made up of hulls that are typically disposed of at a cost to the producer.”  

Through a Mitacs-funded pilot project, Dr. Acharya’s research group found that oat hulls contain quality sugar and fibre, which can be used as food additives to enhance the functional and nutritional value of common baked goods and other food products.  

Additionally, they identified a method to extract cellulose from the fibre, which can serve as a binding agent in the development of sustainable food packaging. 

“Whereas other research efforts are focused on burning oat hulls to generate heat as an energy source, we discovered much higher value bioproducts in the form of sugar, lignin and cellulose,” Dr. Acharya elaborates. 

In 2024, Dr. Acharya was recognized with a Mitacs Innovation Award for Outstanding Research Leadership in recognition of his groundbreaking projects, including this one, which brought industry and researchers together to identify value in waste and connect it to practical applications. 

“This award provides a great deal of satisfaction and encouragement for me to keep working and making contributions to the innovation landscape in Canada,” Dr. Acharya concludes.  

Mitacs’s programs receive funding from multiple partners across Canada. We thank the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon for supporting us to empower Canadian innovation. 

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca.