INFORM October 2024

10 • inform October 2024, Vol. 35 (9)

ent list with fewer items listed, and better nutrition panels due to lower saturated fat content. Many consumers, particularly younger generations, perceive shorter ingredient lists as being more natural and, therefore, better (https://doi.org/10.1016/j. foodqual.2020.104062). MARKET POTENTIAL Plant scientists have known about oleosomes for decades, but only recently has the food industry turned its attention toward them. Part of the reason for that is a renewed interest in a cir cular economy and agricultural efficiency—in the past oleosins were often simply a waste by-product when canola seeds were crushed to extract and purify their oils. Burcu Guldiken, lead scientist at Botaneco, says oleo somes were not targeted by the food industry because demand was low. “Demand defines products that will enter the market,” he says. “In the food market, development of plant-based milks in the last decade has been the largest tar get where oleosomes could be involved.” In 2023, the milk-al ternative market was a billion-dollar industry and 41 percent of US households purchased a plant-based dairy replacement, with almond and oat milk leading the way (https://tinyurl.com/ bdh3wm4a). Producing oleosomes for plant-based dairy will not require new machinery or logistics changes, according to Lorenz Plankensteiner, a food chemistry doctoral student at Wageningen University in The Netherlands. He says the gen eral process for acquiring oleosomes is simple—soaking, blending, then gravitational separation. “A lot of dairy equip ment can be reused for oleosomes, but the roadblocks are in fine-tuning and scaling the processes,” he said. Research teams are investigating how extraction condi tions affect the colloidal state and the size distribution of oleo somes to achieve a method for consistent retrieval of a stable oil body that could be used in a range of food applications, like flavor delivery. Since they can store hydrophobic compounds,

they have already been considered in applications to house and deliver drugs. This is an active area of research, particu larly for delivering chemotherapeutics in cancer treatments ( https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b19255 ). ALTERING INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES Plankensteiner noted that market research shows consum ers want sustainable oils that do not require the widespread habitat destruction that has occurred in Asia, Africa, and Latin America for edible oil production. Oleosomes align with this current naturalist paradigm shift. The food industry is focused on making products as clean as possible, says Jason Hargreaves, Botaneco’s head of research and development. “With oil, beyond the crush you then have to refine, you have to bleach, and you have to deodorize in order to make that oil suitable for human con sumption, and it is similar with a protein.” Creating plant-based food products requires multiple protein ultra-filtrations—to get rid of ash, carbohydrates, and various micro-compounds that give plant products off-flavors. Oleosomes function because they are a natural mixture. “Instead of highly functional protein concentrates, we pro pose to the industry that mixed ingredients are okay,” says Hargreaves. It is not necessary to process and use all that energy, he says. A mixture of highly functional protein and fat, in the form of an oleosome, can be used to make delicious food. You can produce a mayonnaise with only two ingredi ents: oleosomes and vinegar. Oleosome-interested parties are focusing on a few key plants. Sunflower, canola, and hemp are the big three oleo some-producing plants so far. Companies like Botaneco can dip into existing, reliable supply chains that have decades of scal ability behind them. These plants also produce oleosomes with the best physical properties for food applications, with about 40 percent fat and 20 percent protein. Soy is generally avoided for oleosome extraction, since it contains 20 percent fat to 40

Rapeseed

– Pectinase

+ Pectinase

oleosome oleosin cruciferin napin pectin

Pectinase – +

wet milling

pH 5.7

pH 5.7

Enhanced bridging floccula ti on

Bridging floccula ti on

pH 8.5

pH 8.5

Depletion floccula ti on Coalescence

Depletion floccula ti on Limited coalescence

Changes in canola oleosome properties with changing extraction conditions. Source: Alpiger and Corredig, FRI , 175, 113736, 2024.