Development of a wet fractionation process for producing millet protein ingredients

The quest for finding plant protein alternatives to traditional protein sources (e.g., meat, dairy, eggs and soy) used by the food industry is being driven by consumer demand for healthier choices, population growth, environmental sustainability and regulator influencers. Millet represents a staple food for developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia, and represents rich source of dietary fibre, minerals and B-complex vitamins. In terms of their protein content, levels range between 8-10% by weight. The present research focuses on developing a wet fractionation process (e.g., alkaline extraction followed by isoelectric precipitation) to obtain protein isolates with protein levels >80%, and then to characterize their functional properties (e.g., solubility, emulsification, foaming and water/oil holding capacities) and their protein quality (e.g., amino acid profile, digestibility and PDCAAS). Depending on the protein ingredients yield and functionality, the process will be scaled up at GFR Ingredients (Alberta) to gain sufficient quantities of materials for product application testing. This new ingredient could be positioned to fill the market gap in the emerging plant protein sector.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Nickerson

Student:

Abhiroop Mookerjee

Partner:

Rainfed Foods Ltd.

Discipline:

Food science

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Saskatchewan