Protein and lipid sources for use in aquafeeds and animal feeds and a process for their preparation

Abstract

A process for preparation of nutritionally upgraded oilseed meals which are protein and lipid-rich and have a reduced fibre content, and plant oils from oilseeds for use in fish or other non-human animal diets or human foods comprising the steps of: providing a source of oilseed; subjecting the oilseed to heat treatment to substantially reduce the concentration of at least some antinutritional components normally present in the oilseed to obtain heat-treated seed; dehulling the heat-treated seed to produce a meat fraction, a hull fraction or a mixture thereof; and cold pressing the meat fraction or the mixture to yeild the plant oils and the protein and lipid-rich meals.

Description

[0001] This application is a Divisional application of application No. 10,076,499, filed Feb. 19, 2002, which is a Continuation-In-Part application and claims priority on Canadian patent application serial number 2,351,903 filed on Jun. 26, 2001 and International Patent Application Number PCT / CA01 / 00663 filed on May 8, 2001 which claims priority on Canadian patent application No. 2,335,745 filed on Feb. 13, 2001 and on U.S. Pat. No. 09 / 566,728, filed May 9, 2000, now abandoned.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a novel process for the production of nutritionally upgraded protein and lipid sources for use in aquafeeds and other animal feeds. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process involving the co-processing of animal offal(s) with oilseed(s); the invention also relates to products produced thereby. Other embodiments of the present invention relate to novel oilseed protein concentrates and novel protein and lipid-rich oilseed meals, a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a process for preparing nutritionally upgraded oilseed meals and plant oils for use in fish or other non-human animal diets or human foods. The process involves heat treatment of oilseeds to reduce antinutritional components, followed by dehulling and cold pressing to obtain a high value human grade oil and protein and lipid-rich meals with reduced fibre content. The invention also provides a process for co-processing animal offal with oilseeds to produce protein concentrates and lipid sources for use in animal feeds. The process steps include providing a source of oilseed, drying the oilseed, blending it with animal offal, and cooking it under conditions to improve protein digestibility and separate out the protein and lipid components. The resulting products have improved nutritional content and reduced fibre content.

Problems solved by technology

Feed accounts for on average 35-60% of the operating costs of salmon farms and it represents the largest cost in the culture of other carnivorous aquatic species.

Moreover, the protein sources presently used account for the majority of the feed cost.

Accordingly, salmon farming profitability is marginal in many regions.

However, as noted hereinabove, such fish meal and oil can be very expensive and this will be especially true in the future due to progressively increasing demands that are being placed on the finite global supplies of fish meal and oil.

Indeed, in the case of canola for example, although proteins contained therein are rich in lysine and methionine, both of which are limiting amino acids in most cereal and oilseed proteins, its use as a protein source in food products has been severely limited, due to the fact that the proteinaceous material which is left over after oil is extracted by known processes contains antinutritional constituents.

Accordingly, the process of the preparation of an isolate does not allow for a heating step at elevated temperature.

However, subsequent work conducted in collaboration with the POS Pilot Plant Corporation in Saskatoon revealed that the FRI-71 process was not cost effective, due to low yields of the concentrates, and insufficient numbers of other value-added products apart from canola oil stemming from the process.

Also, the process as described could not easily be applied in the private sector using existing oilseed and fish meal processing technology.

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