Extracts Obtained from Oilseeds and Methods for Processing Oilseeds - Patent application

Abstract

A method for extracting material from oil seeds is disclosed. An example method can include extracting material from oil seeds using an extraction solution to form a mixture. The extraction solution can be free of organic solvents. The method can also include filtering the mixture into a retentate component and a permeate component. The method can also include drying the retentate component.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to extracts obtained from oil seeds and methods for processing oil seeds. [Background technology]

[0002] Numerous methods are known for processing oilseeds. Of these methods, each has certain advantages and disadvantages. There is an ongoing need for different and new methods for processing oilseeds. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The present disclosure provides methods for processing oil seeds. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] A method for extracting material from oil seeds is disclosed, the method comprising extracting material from oil seeds with an extraction solution to form a mixture, the extraction solution being free of organic solvents, filtering the mixture into a retentate and a permeate, and drying the retentate.

[0005] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising the step of dehulling the oil seeds. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising cold pressing the oil seeds.

[0006] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising the step of grinding the dehulled oil seeds. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the extraction solution comprises water.

[0007] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the extraction solution comprises a salt. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the extraction solution comprises an acid. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising separating the mixture into an aqueous phase and a wet meal.

[0008] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of separating the mixture into an aqueous phase and the wet meal comprises decanting. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising removing the seed oil from the aqueous phase.

[0009] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising centrifuging the aqueous phase. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, centrifuging the aqueous phase includes separating oil from the aqueous phase.

[0010] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of filtering the mixture comprises ultrafiltration. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of filtering the mixture comprises diafiltration.

[0011] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of drying the retained component comprises evaporating the retained component. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of drying the retained component comprises spray drying the retained component.

[0012] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the retention component comprises a soluble protein. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the retention component comprises a low molecular weight protein.

[0013] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising filtering the permeate component. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, filtering the permeate component comprises nanofiltration.

[0014] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, filtering the permeate component separates the permeate component into a second permeate component and a second retained component. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising drying the second retained component.

[0015] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of drying the second retained component comprises evaporating the second retained component. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of drying the second retained component comprises spray drying the second retained component.

[0016] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second retention component comprises chlorogenic acid. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising passing the second permeate component through a reverse osmosis membrane.

[0017] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, purified water is produced by passing the second permeate component through a reverse osmosis membrane. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, a brine solution is produced by passing the second permeate component through a reverse osmosis membrane.

[0018] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising extracting the non-dried meal. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of extracting the wet meal is an organic solvent-free extraction.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising separating the non-dried meal into a second aqueous phase and a second non-dried meal. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of separating the wet meal into a second aqueous phase and a second wet meal comprises decanting.

[0020] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising centrifuging the second aqueous phase. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of centrifuging the second aqueous phase includes separating oil from the second aqueous phase.

[0021] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising the step of precipitating the second aqueous phase. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of precipitating the second aqueous phase comprises lowering the pH of the second aqueous phase.

[0022] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising the step of separating the precipitated material from the second aqueous phase. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of separating the precipitated material from the second aqueous phase comprises decanting.

[0023] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising the step of washing the precipitated material. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising filtering the second aqueous phase into a third retentate component and a third permeate component.

[0024] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising passing the third permeate component through a reverse osmosis membrane. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, purified water is produced by passing the third permeate component through a reverse osmosis membrane.

[0025] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the third permeate component is passed through a reverse osmosis membrane to produce a brine solution. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising drying the third retained component, the permeated component, or both.

[0026] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, drying the third retained component, the precipitate, or both, comprises flash drying of the third retained component. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the third retained component, the precipitate, or both, comprises insoluble proteins.

[0027] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the third retained component, the precipitate, or both, comprises high molecular weight proteins. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the oil seed comprises a sunflower seed.

[0028] A method for extracting multiple target materials from oil seeds is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: subjecting an oil seed material to a first extraction to form an aqueous phase and a solid phase, the first extraction being an organic solvent-free extraction; filtering the aqueous phase to form a retentate component and a permeate component; drying the retentate component, the dry retentate component comprising the first target material; filtering the permeate component to form a second retentate component; and drying the second retentate component, the second dry retentate component comprising the second target material.

[0029] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the first target material comprises a protein. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second target material comprises chlorogenic acid.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising adding a precipitating material to the permeate component to form a precipitate. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitation material comprises calcium chloride.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitate comprises phytic acid. A method for extracting multiple target materials from oil seeds is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: performing a first extraction on an oil seed material by adding water and salt to the oil seed material, the first extraction forming an aqueous phase and a solid phase; filtering the aqueous phase to form a retentate component and a permeate component; drying the retentate component, the dried retentate component comprising the first target material; filtering the permeate component to form a second retentate component; and drying the second retentate component, the second dried retentate component comprising the second target material.

[0032] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the first target material comprises a protein. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second target material comprises chlorogenic acid.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising adding a precipitating material to the permeate component to form a precipitate. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitation material comprises calcium chloride.

[0034] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitate comprises phytic acid. A food product is disclosed. The food product includes an emulsion; and a sunflower-based emulsifier mixed with the emulsion.

[0035] A food product is disclosed. The food product comprises a liquid and a soluble sunflower protein dissolved in the liquid. A method for extracting sweet proteins from sunflower seeds is disclosed, comprising the steps of extracting a material derived from sunflower seeds with an extraction solution to form a mixture, the extraction solution being free of organic solvents; filtering the mixture into a retentate and a permeate; and drying the retentate to extract the sweet proteins.

[0036] A method for extracting proteins from sunflower seeds is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of extracting a material from sunflower seeds with an extraction solution to form a mixture, the extraction solution being free of organic solvents; filtering the mixture into a retained component and a permeate component; and drying the retained component to form proteins having native three-dimensional structure.

[0037] A method for extracting a plurality of materials from oil seeds is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of extracting materials from oil seeds with an extraction solution to form a mixture, the extraction solution being free of organic solvents; filtering the mixture into a retentate and a permeate; drying the retentate to form a first material; filtering the permeate to a second retentate and a second permeate; and drying the second retentate to form a second material, at least one of the first material and the second material comprising a dietary supplement.

[0038] A method for extracting material from oil seeds is disclosed, comprising the steps of: mixing an extraction solution with a quantity of dehulled and crushed oil seeds to form a mixture, the extraction solution comprising water and salt, and the pH of the extraction solution being between 3 and 6; extracting the mixture at a temperature in the range of 10 to 93° C. for 0.5 to 6 hours to form an extracted mixture; filtering the extracted mixture into a retentate and a permeate; and drying the retentate.

[0039] A method for extracting material from oil seeds is disclosed, comprising the steps of: mixing an extraction solution with a quantity of dehulled, pressed and crushed oil seeds to form a mixture, the extraction solution comprising water and salt, and the pH of the extraction solution being between 3 and 6; extracting the mixture at a temperature in the range of 10 to 93° C. for 0.5 to 6 hours to form an extracted mixture; filtering the extracted mixture into a retentate and a permeate; and drying the retentate.

[0040] A method for extracting multiple target materials from oil seeds is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: subjecting an oil seed material to a first extraction to form an aqueous phase and a solid phase, the first extraction being an organic solvent-free extraction; filtering the aqueous phase to form a retentate component and a permeate component; drying the retentate component, the dried retentate component comprising the first target material; filtering the permeate component to form a second retentate component; and drying the second retentate component, the second dried retentate component comprising the second target material.

[0041] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the first target material comprises a first protein. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the first protein comprises an insoluble protein.

[0042] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second target material comprises a second protein. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second protein comprises a soluble protein.

[0043] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, filtering the permeate component to form a second retentate component includes forming a second permeate component. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising filtering the second permeate component to form a third retentate component.

[0044] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising drying a third holding component, the third dry holding component comprising a third target material. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the third target material comprises chlorogenic acid.

[0045] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising adding a precipitating material to the permeation component, the second permeation component, or both, to form a precipitate. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitation material comprises calcium chloride.

[0046] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitate comprises phytic acid. A method for extracting material from oil seeds is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of extracting material from oil seeds with an extraction solution to form a mixture, the extraction solution being free of organic solvents; filtering the mixture into a retentate component and a permeate component; and drying the retentate component.

[0047] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the extraction solution comprises water and salt. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising separating the mixture into an aqueous phase and wet meal by decanting.

[0048] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising removing the seed oil from the aqueous phase. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the step of filtering the mixture comprises ultrafiltration.

[0049] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the retention component comprises a soluble protein. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising filtering the permeate component into a second permeate component and a second retained component.

[0050] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, filtering the permeate component comprises nanofiltration. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second retention component comprises chlorogenic acid.

[0051] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising passing the second permeate component through a reverse osmosis membrane. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising extracting the wet meal and separating the wet meal into a second aqueous phase and a second wet meal.

[0052] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising the steps of precipitating the second aqueous phase and separating the precipitated material from the aqueous phase. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising filtering the second aqueous phase into a third retentate component and a third permeate component.

[0053] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the third retention component comprises insoluble proteins. A method for extracting multiple target materials from oil seeds is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: subjecting an oil seed material to a first extraction to form an aqueous phase and a solid phase, the first extraction being an organic solvent-free extraction; filtering the aqueous phase to form a retentate component and a permeate component; drying the retentate component, the dried retentate component comprising the first target material; filtering the permeate component to form a second retentate component; and drying the second retentate component, the second dried retentate component comprising the second target material.

[0054] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the first target material comprises a protein. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second target material comprises chlorogenic acid.

[0055] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising adding a precipitating material to the permeate component to form a precipitate. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitate comprises phytic acid.

[0056] A method for extracting material from oil seeds is disclosed, comprising the steps of: mixing an extraction solution with a quantity of dehulled and crushed oil seeds to form a mixture, the extraction solution comprising water and salt, and the pH of the extraction solution being between 3 and 6; extracting the mixture at a temperature in the range of 10 to 93° C. for 0.5 to 6 hours to form an extracted mixture; filtering the extracted mixture into a retentate and a permeate; and drying the retentate.

[0057] A method for extracting material from oil seeds is disclosed, comprising the steps of: mixing an extraction solution with a quantity of dehulled, pressed and crushed oil seeds to form a mixture, the extraction solution comprising water and salt, and the pH of the extraction solution being between 3 and 6; extracting the mixture at a temperature in the range of 10 to 93° C. for 0.5 to 6 hours to form an extracted mixture; filtering the extracted mixture into a retentate and a permeate; and drying the retentate.

[0058] A composition is disclosed. The composition includes a first component comprising a sunflower protein extract; and a second component comprising phytic acid. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the first component comprises 91.7 to 99% by weight of the composition.

[0059] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second component comprises 0.28-7.7% by weight of the composition. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second component comprises 2-6% by weight of the composition.

[0060] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the composition has a sweetness substantially equal to that of sucrose. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the composition has a sweetness greater than that of sucrose.

[0061] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the composition has a sweetness that is 2 to 10 times sweeter than the sweetness of sucrose. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the composition has a sweetness that is 2 to 5 times sweeter than the sweetness of sucrose.

[0062] A method for extracting multiple target materials from oil seeds is disclosed, which includes the steps of: subjecting an oil seed material to an extraction to form an aqueous phase and a solid phase, the extraction being performed in an organic solvent-free extraction; separating the insoluble solids from the aqueous phase; filtering the aqueous phase to form a retentate component and a permeate component; drying the retentate component to form a dry retentate component, the dry retentate component comprising the first target material; filtering the permeate component to form a second retentate component and a second permeate component; drying the second retentate component to form a second dry retentate component, the second dry retentate component comprising the second target material; filtering the second permeate component to form a third retentate component; and drying the third retentate component to form a third dry retentate component, the third dry retentate component comprising the third target material.

[0063] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the first target material comprises a protein. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the second target material comprises a second protein fraction.

[0064] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising adding a precipitating material to the permeate component to form a precipitate. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitate comprises phytic acid.

[0065] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the precipitating material is calcium chloride. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, adding a precipitating material to the permeate component to form a precipitate comprises adding calcium chloride in a molar ratio of 5.6 to 6.0:1 to phytic acid in the permeate component.

[0066] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the third target material comprises chlorogenic acid. A plant-based cheese is disclosed that includes water-soluble sunflower protein, one or more of almond milk, coconut, potato starch, tapioca flour, and a thickened agar solution.

[0067] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based cheese includes two or more of almond milk, coconut, potato starch, and tapioca flour. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based cheese includes three or more of almond milk, coconut, potato starch, and tapioca flour.

[0068] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based cheese includes almond milk, coconut, potato starch, and tapioca flour. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, further comprising one or more of nutritional yeast, xanthan gum, and salt.

[0069] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based cheese comprises two or more of nutritional yeast, xanthan gum, and salt. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based cheese comprises nutritional yeast, xanthan gum, and salt.

[0070] A vegetable based ice cream is disclosed, the vegetable based ice cream comprising soluble sunflower protein, insoluble sunflower protein, one or more of pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose, and sunflower oil.

[0071] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based ice cream comprises two or more of pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose.

[0072] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based ice cream comprises three or more of pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose.

[0073] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based ice cream comprises four or more of pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose.

[0074] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the plant-based ice cream comprises pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose.

[0075] A protein-enriched chocolate milk is disclosed, which comprises soluble sunflower protein containing 2-6% by weight of phytic acid; cow's milk; and one or more of coca, calcium carbonate, and cellulose gel.

[0076] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, soluble sunflower protein containing 2-6% by weight of phytic acid has a sweetness substantially equivalent to sucrose. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, soluble sunflower protein containing 2-6% by weight of phytic acid has a sweetness that is 2-5 times sweeter than sucrose.

[0077] A protein-enriched sports drink is disclosed, which comprises soluble sunflower protein containing 2-6% by weight of phytic acid; water; and an electrolyte solution.

[0078] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, soluble sunflower protein containing 2-6% by weight of phytic acid has a sweetness substantially equivalent to sucrose. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, soluble sunflower protein containing 2-6% by weight of phytic acid has a sweetness that is 2-5 times sweeter than sucrose.

[0079] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the protein fortified sports drink contains no added sugar and no added sugar substitutes. Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the protein fortified sports drink contains 0.75 to 1.5 grams of protein per ounce serving.

[0080] Alternatively or additionally to any of the above embodiments, the protein fortified sports drink contains substantially 1 gram of protein per ounce serving. The above summary of some embodiments is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure. The figures and detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.

[0081] The present disclosure may be more fully understood from a consideration of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0082] [Figure 1] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing. [Diagram 2] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing. [Figure 4] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0083] While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, details thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0084] For the following defined terms, these definitions shall be applied, unless a different definition is given in the claims or elsewhere in this specification. All numerical values ​​herein are assumed to be modified by the term "about," whether or not expressly stated. The term "about" generally refers to a range of numerical values ​​that one of ordinary skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (e.g., having the same function or result). In many cases, the term "about" can include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure.

[0085] The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5). As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "or" is generally used in its sense including "and / or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0086] It is noted that references herein to "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "other embodiments," and the like, indicate that the described embodiment may include one or more particular features, structures, and / or characteristics. However, such enumeration does not necessarily mean that all embodiments include the particular feature, structure, and / or characteristic. Furthermore, if a particular feature, structure, and / or characteristic is described in connection with one embodiment, it should be understood that such feature, structure, and / or characteristic can also be used in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly stated, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0087] The following detailed description should be read in light of the drawings, in which similar elements in different drawings are numbered the same. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict illustrative embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0088] Many plants produce seeds that contain extractable oil and other materials. For the purposes of this disclosure, such plants and / or more specifically the seeds of such plants may be referred to as oilseed plants and / or oilseeds. Examples of plants that produce oilseeds include almond, argan, borage, rapeseed, castor, cherry, coconut, corn, cotton, flax, grape, hemp, jojoba, macadamia, mango, mustard, neem, oil palm, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, shea tree, sunflower, tonka bean, moringa, rice (and / or rice bran), and tallow. These are just a few examples. Vegetable oils are produced by extracting oil from the seeds of such plants. For example, canola oil is produced by extracting oil from the seeds of rapeseed.

[0089] Besides oil, oil seeds also contain many other substances of interest. Some examples of such materials include proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, insoluble proteins, albumins, helianthinins, etc.), one or more meals (e.g., sunflower meal with reduced oil and protein content and / or sunflower meal with removed chlorogenic acid, which may positively affect the color of the meal), phenols, chlorogenic acid, phytic acid, combinations thereof, and / or the like. In some cases, organic solvents such as hexane, alcohol, and / or the like are used to extract proteins from oil seeds. However, such solvents may affect the environment and / or human health. Furthermore, such solvents may affect other materials present in the oil seeds. Therefore, it may be desirable to extract proteins from oil seeds in a way that improves human health and / or also extracts other substances of interest while minimizing the impact on the environment. Methods of processing oil seeds are disclosed herein. These methods can be utilized to extract materials from oil seeds. Such ingredients can include seed oils, proteins, one or more meals, phenolics, chlorogenic acid, phytic acid, combinations thereof, and / or other ingredients.

[0090] Currently, the field lacks this more holistic view of oilseed processing, and since oilseeds are processed for oil, processing often degrades other valuable nutrients in the oilseed. As our understanding of human health and the nutrients needed to maintain a healthy mind and body increases, new technologies need to be developed to provide these nutrients in a sustainable manner. The present disclosure allows seeds to be processed in a way that allows many nutrients valuable to human health to be extracted as available.

[0091] Protein is one of the major nutrients that is becoming more and more relevant, especially for plant protein.As interest and desire for plant protein intake increases, the need for new and novel sources of plant protein also increases.New good-tasting plant protein sources that are not major allergens and / or have functional aspects (foaming, gelling, solubility, etc.) are desirable.The present disclosure aims to provide at least some of these attributes and others.

[0092] Furthermore, micronutrients, e.g., minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, etc., are becoming increasingly important as tools are developed to understand the daily nutritional needs of different individuals. Many oilseeds contain useful micronutrients, mainly polyphenols. Sunflower seeds have two useful micronutrients, chlorogenic acid and phytic acid. Both can still be extracted and isolated in useful nutritional forms, as long as harsh chemicals or extreme processing conditions (e.g., high temperatures, very low or high pH) are avoided.

[0093] FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for processing oil seeds, generally referred to by reference numeral 10. The method can include receiving oil seeds 12 (e.g., raw oil seeds) from a supplier (e.g., an agricultural supplier). The raw oil seeds 12 can go through a dehulling process 14, for example, where the raw oil seeds 12 are brought into a processing facility and taken to a dehulling unit. When taken to the dehulling unit, the seeds are cracked and the husks are separated from the seed "pulp" or material 16. After going through the dehulling process, 90% or more of the husks are removed from the oil seeds, or about 99% or more of the husks are removed from the oil seeds, or about 99.9% or more of the husks are removed from the oil seeds. The hulls can be discarded or transferred to separate / different processing. The hulls or dehulled oil seed material 16 can be further processed.

[0094] In some cases, the dehulled oil seed material 16 may be pressed (e.g., cold pressed) to remove a portion of the oil from the dehulled oil seed material 16 prior to extraction of the dehulled oil seed material 16. The cold pressing process may be performed at a temperature ranging from about 70-140°F (20-60°C) or about 130-138°F (54-59°C). Pressing at such temperatures (e.g., pressing at a relatively low temperature) may help preserve nutrients in the oil (e.g., vitamin E) as well as the integrity and / or higher order structure of proteins in the dehulled oil seed material 16. Additionally, pressing at a relatively low temperature may also help preserve the integrity of other materials of interest in the dehulled oil seed material 16 (e.g., chlorogenic acid, etc.).

[0095] The dehulled oil seed material 16 may undergo a grinding process 18 to produce a ground material 20. Grinding may include grinding using any one (or more) of a variety of grinding mill types, including hammer mills, knife mills, colloid mills, stone mills, and / or the like. The grinding process may reduce the particle size to less than about 3 mm D90, or to less than about 1-2 mm D90, or the like.

[0096] In some cases, milling can result in the release / liberation of oil from the dehulled seed oil material and / or degradation of one or more components (e.g., chlorogenic acid) if temperature conditions are not controlled. To limit the release / liberation of oil from the dehulled seed oil material and / or degradation of one or more components, milling can be carried out under temperature controlled conditions. For example, in some cases, milling is carried out at a temperature of about 80-140°F (26-60°C), or about 120-140°F (48-60°C), or below about 140°F (60°C), or about 130-138°F (54-59°C).

[0097] The ground material 20 can be subjected to one or more extractions. A flow chart illustrating process 22, which includes a first extraction of the ground material 20 as well as the recovery of one or more materials from the ground material 20, is shown in FIG. 2. Process 22 can include mixing the ground material 20 with an extraction solution to form a mixture 26. The mixing is generally indicated by reference numeral 24 in FIG. 2. In at least some cases, the extraction solution includes water, and mixing the ground material 20 with the extraction solution can include adding water in an appropriate ratio. For example, the ground material 20 can be mixed with water in a ratio of about 6:1 to 20:1 water to ground material 20 (e.g., the dry weight of the ground material 20), or about 10:1 to 15:1 water to ground material 20 (e.g., the dry weight of the ground material 20). In some cases, the ratio can be about 10:1 water to ground material 20. Mixture 26 may be heated to a temperature of about 50-200°F (10-93°C), or about 100-140°F (37-60°C), or about 140°F (60°C), or about 130-138°F (54-59°C). In some cases, the pH is adjusted to about pH 3-6 or about pH 4 using a suitable acid / base (e.g., an acid such as HCl, a base such as NaOH, and / or other suitable acid / base). A salt may also be added to mixture 26. In some cases, the salt may be NaCl. The salt may be added such that mixture 26 has a salt concentration of about 0.05-2.0M NaCl, or about 0.1-1.0M NaCl, or about 0.25-0.5M NaCl, or about 0.25M NaCl. With mixture 26 adjusted to the desired temperature and salt concentration, mixture 26 can be held (e.g., held for the duration of the extraction) in a suitable vessel (e.g., batch tank, continuous stirred tank, continuous mixed flow reactor, etc.) for about 0.5-6 hours or about 2 hours to extract the target material. For example, low molecular weight proteins (e.g., having a molecular weight in the range of about 10-18 kDa), chlorogenic acid, and / or other target material can be extracted into the aqueous phase. The step of holding the mixture to allow for extraction of the target material (e.g., first extraction) is generally indicated in FIG. 2 using reference numeral 28. The result of first extraction 28 is extracted mixture 30.

[0098] In at least some cases, the first extraction 28 can be understood to be performed without the use of organic solvents that may affect (e.g., decompose) other materials present in the ground material 20, affect the environment, and / or affect human health. Thus, the first extraction 28 can be performed without the use of organic solvents or can otherwise be considered to be organic solvent-free (e.g., the extraction process is performed without the use of organic solvents). That is, the first extraction 28 can be an organic solvent-free extraction. For example, the first extraction 28 can be performed without the use of hexane or can otherwise be considered to be hexane-free (e.g., the extraction process is performed without the use of hexane). In other words, the first extraction 28 can be a hexane-free extraction. In these and other cases, the first extraction 28 can be performed with materials that have reduced or minimal impact on the substances of interest in the ground material 20, reduced impact on the environment, and / or reduced impact on human health. For example, the first extraction 28 can be performed using materials that have a reduced or minimal impact on the chlorogenic acid in the ground material 20 (e.g., a reduced or minimal likelihood of decomposition of the chlorogenic acid during the first extraction 28). For purposes of this disclosure, water is not considered an organic solvent.

[0099] In some cases, one or more additional treatments may be added to, incorporated into, and / or otherwise used in conjunction with the first extraction 28 (e.g., and / or other extractions disclosed herein). For example, 0.1-2% by weight ascorbic acid may be added during the extraction process. This may help reduce and / or prevent the formation of undesirable colors that may occur due to interactions between polyphenol oxidase, chlorogenic acid, and proteins. In some of these and other cases, adsorbent polymer beads and / or activated charcoal may be utilized to improve the separation of proteins from chlorogenic acid. For example, chlorogenic acid may be bound to beads and later eluted with a solvent such as ethanol or water and / or by adjusting the pH. The eluted chlorogenic acid may be dried to a powder (e.g., chlorogenic acid powder). Activated charcoal may also be used during post-protein isolation steps to aid in the removal of any materials not sufficiently removed by membrane filtration. This may include color compounds, traces of chlorogenic acid, traces of metals, etc. The use of activated charcoal may include passing the liquid protein stream through a bed of activated charcoal. However, other uses / processes may also be utilized.

[0100] Extraction without organic solvents may be desirable for many reasons. For example, organic solvents may affect the native three-dimensional structure of proteins present in oilseeds. For example, extraction / processing with such solvents may disrupt the higher-order structure of proteins and / or denature the proteins. In processes to extract proteins for use in industries such as the food industry, disruption of the higher-order structure of proteins may affect the physical properties of the proteins, including their physical properties and taste. For example, sunflower proteins may tend to have a relatively sweet flavor, which may be felt, for example, when ingesting sunflower seeds. Extraction of proteins from sunflower seeds with organic solvents at more extreme pH, higher temperatures, and / or combinations thereof may result in proteins that do not retain the natural sweetness of sunflower proteins. Extraction as disclosed herein, performed without organic solvents, at less extreme pH and lower temperatures, surprisingly isolates protein materials that retain their native three-dimensional structure and have a surprising sweet taste.

[0101] The sweetness of sunflower proteins can be utilized, for example, in product development and formulation where sweetness is desired. Compared to sucrose, which has a reference sweetness of 1, extracted sunflower proteins provide a sweetness of approximately 2-10 (2-10 times sweeter than sucrose) or approximately 2-5 (2-5 times sweeter than sucrose). This is different from other carbohydrate-based sweeteners, which have a sweetness close to that of sucrose and are compared to intensely sweet sweeteners (or non-nutritive sweeteners) that are hundreds of times sweeter than that of sucrose. Thus, sunflower proteins provide a sweetness without the unpleasant flavors and aftertastes that can be associated with intensely sweet sweeteners. Additionally, the use of such proteins can allow for the addition of sweetness without dilution (e.g., with bulking agents, fillers, and / or the like), allow for the use of less sweetener (e.g., in smaller amounts), allow for the addition of sweetness to the product along with / simultaneously with the protein, can have a desirable impact on creaming or whitening color effects, provide a longer profile of sweetness perception from initial sweetness to flavor completion (e.g., no lingering aftertaste), etc.

[0102] After the first extraction 28, the extracted mixture 30 can be separated using a separation / decanting process. An example of a separation / decanting of the extracted mixture 30 is indicated in FIG. 2 using reference numbers 32a, 32b, and 32c. Separating / decanting the extracted mixture 30 can include conveying the mixture / slurry to a suitable solid / liquid separation unit for a separation / decanting process that separates the extracted mixture 30 into a liquid or aqueous phase 34 (e.g., reference number 32a indicates separation / decanting of the aqueous phase 34) and a solid or wet meal 36 (e.g., reference number 32b indicates separation of the wet meal 36). In some cases, the separation / decanting process can include the use of a decanter centrifuge.

[0103] In some cases, the non-dried meal 36 can be dried to form a vegetable meal or vegetable flour. Alternatively, the non-dried meal 36 can be further processed / extracted as discussed herein. In some of these and other cases, the non-dried meal 36 can be washed one or more times, for example, to increase the yield of the target material and / or to desalt the non-dried meal 36. For example, water can be mixed with the non-dried meal and the mixture can be separated / decanted again (e.g., in a manner similar to that disclosed herein). The aqueous phase (e.g., this phase can include one or more target materials) can then be added to the aqueous phase 34. In some cases, the washed non-dried meal can be dried to form a vegetable meal or vegetable flour. In other cases, the washed non-dried meal can be further processed as disclosed herein.

[0104] In addition to separating the aqueous phase 34 from the wet meal 36, a separation / decanting process may separate the seed oil 40 from the extraction mixture 30 (e.g., the aqueous phase of the extraction mixture 30), as indicated by reference numeral 32c. It can be appreciated that other separation / decanting processes may also be utilized, including, for example, the use of one or more filters, disc stack centrifuges, settling chambers, combinations thereof, and / or the like. In some cases, an additional centrifugation process 38 (e.g., using a disc stack centrifuge) may be used to remove additional seed oil 40 from the aqueous phase 34. However, this process is considered optional.

[0105] In some cases, the aqueous phase 34 can be mixed with a divalent ion, such as calcium chloride (CaCl2). The calcium ion then binds with phytic acid that may be present in the aqueous phase 34, resulting in an insoluble compound that can precipitate. The resulting solids / precipitate can be separated with a suitable separation device, such as a centrifuge, filter, and / or the like. The collected solids (e.g., phytic acid) can be dried, for example, using a suitable process, such as those disclosed herein.

[0106] Addition of a particular amount of divalent ion to the starting material will result in different levels of phytic acid in the final soluble protein product. As an example, if the feed to an extraction process is 33% protein, 25% oil, 2% CGA, and 3.8% phytic acid, and the divalent ion is calcium chloride, adding calcium chloride at the levels shown in Table 1 below will result in the associated levels of phytic acid in the soluble protein product.

[0107] [Table 1]

[0108] For proteins extracted / isolated from sunflower seeds disclosed herein (e.g., insoluble proteins, high molecular weight proteins, helianthinins, globulins, albumins (e.g., residual albumin), combinations thereof, and / or the like; and / or soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumins, combinations thereof, and / or the like), the amount of phytic acid present in the protein product can correlate to sweetness. More specifically, the more phytic acid present in the protein, the less sweet the protein product. For example, a protein product having a phytic acid content of about 5.5-6.5% or about 6% can have approximately the same sweetness as sucrose. A protein product having a phytic acid content of about 3.5-4.5% or about 4% can have approximately twice the sweetness of sucrose. A protein product having a phytic acid content of about 1.5-2.5% or about 2% can have approximately five times the sweetness of sucrose.

[0109] The aqueous phase 34 can be subjected to one or more filtration processes, which are represented in FIG. 2 using reference numerals 42a, 42b. In at least some cases, the filtration process can include an ultrafiltration process. For example, the filtration process can include a step of using a filter membrane with a nominal pore size of about 600-8000 Daltons or about 800-2000 Daltons. The aqueous phase 34 can then be separated into a retentate or retentate stream 44 (e.g., material that is retained on the filter membrane or does not otherwise pass through the filter membrane) and a permeate or permeate stream 46 (e.g., material that passes through the filter membrane). The retentate stream 44 can include proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumin, combinations thereof, and / or the like), and the permeate stream 46 can include other materials (e.g., chlorogenic acid, minerals, other low molecular weight compounds, and / or the like). In some cases, diafiltrate water can be added to further purify the retentate stream 44. In some cases, the retentate stream 44 may be concentrated to have a solids content of about 10-40%. 70-99% (or more) of the solids may be made up of protein, about 80-95% of the solids may be made up of protein, or about 85-95% of the solids may be made up of protein. In some cases, the pH of the retentate stream 44 may be adjusted to about pH 4-7, or about pH 5-6.5, or about pH 5-5.5. This may include the addition of a base, such as KOH, NaOH, and / or the like, or an acid, such as HCl, H3PO4, and / or the like.

[0110] The retentate stream 44 can undergo one or more drying processes. For example, the retentate stream 44 can undergo an evaporation process 48, which can include conveying / transferring the retentate stream 44 to an evaporator to concentrate the solids. The evaporator can have a liquid output that is about 20-50% solids by weight. In some cases, the evaporator can operate at a temperature of about 120-160° F. (48-72° C.) and a vacuum pressure of about 0.1-10 psi.

[0111] The retentate stream 44 (and / or the evaporated retentate stream, designated with reference numeral 50) can undergo one or more further drying processes, such as drying process 52 (e.g., spray drying process). For example, the retentate stream 44 and / or the evaporated retentate stream 50 can be conveyed / transferred to a drying device, such as a spray dryer, drum dryer, flash dryer, pan dryer, combinations thereof, and / or the like. In some cases, the drying device can reduce the moisture content to about 10% or less, or about 6% or less, or about 3-6% or less. As a result of the drying process 52, a solid product 54 is obtained, which includes proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumin, combinations thereof, and / or the like).

[0112] In some cases, the retentate stream 44 and / or the solid product 54 can be treated with a decolorizing material (e.g., an activated carbon bed, an adsorbent, an ionic adsorbent, combinations thereof, and / or the like) to remove color compounds from the protein.

[0113] The permeate stream 46 (e.g., from the filtration process 42b) can be subjected to further filtration processes, indicated in FIG. 2 with reference numbers 56a, 56b. In some cases, the filtration process can include a nanofiltration process. For example, the permeate stream 46 can be conveyed / transferred to a nanofiltration membrane having a nominal pore size of about 200-800 Daltons or about 300-600 Daltons. The nanofiltration membrane can then separate the permeate stream into a second retentate or second retentate stream 58 and a second permeate or second permeate stream 60. In at least some cases, the second retentate 58 can include a target material, such as chlorogenic acid. The second permeate 60 can include minerals, salts, and / or the like. In some cases, diafiltrate water can be added to further purify the second retentate stream 58. The second retentate 58 can have a solids concentration of about 2-20% solids or more, about 10% solids or more, or about 5% solids or more. The solids composition can be about 40-80% chlorogenic acid, or about 50-80% chlorogenic acid, or about 70-80% chlorogenic acid.

[0114] In some cases, the second retentate 58 may undergo one or more drying processes. For example, the second retentate 58 may undergo an evaporation process 62. This may include conveying / transferring the second retentate 58 to an evaporator to concentrate the solids. The evaporator may have a liquid output that is about 20-50% solids by weight, or about 10-20% solids by weight. In some cases, the evaporator may operate at a temperature of about 120-160° F. (48-72° C.) and a vacuum pressure of about 0.1-10 psi.

[0115] The second retentate 58 (and / or the evaporated second retentate, designated with reference numeral 64) may undergo one or more further drying processes, such as a drying process 66 (e.g., a spray drying process). For example, the second retentate 58 and / or the evaporated second retentate 64 may be conveyed / transferred to a drying device, such as a spray dryer, a drum dryer, a flash dryer, a pan dryer, combinations thereof, and / or the like. In some cases, the drying device may reduce the moisture content to about 10% or less, or about 6% or less. As a result of the drying process, a solid product 68 comprising chlorogenic acid is obtained.

[0116] In some cases, the second permeate 60 can undergo a reverse osmosis process, indicated in FIG. 2 with reference numbers 70a, 70b. For example, the second permeate 60 can be sent to a reverse osmosis membrane to separate salts 72 from water 74. This allows the water 74 to be reused in one or more of the processes disclosed herein, thereby reducing overall water usage. In some cases, the reverse osmosis membrane can take the form of a high salt retention membrane (e.g., 95% or greater). Similar to the water 74, the retained salts 72 can also be reused in one or more of the processes disclosed herein, thereby reducing overall salt usage.

[0117] The wet meal 36 (e.g., from the separation / decanting process 32b) may be subjected to one or more additional extractions. A flow chart illustrating a process 76 including a second extraction of the wet meal 36 as well as recovery of one or more ingredients from the wet meal 36 is shown in FIG. 3. The process 76 may include mixing the wet meal 36 with an extraction solution to form a mixture 80. The mixing is generally referred to in FIG. 3 by reference numeral 78. In at least some cases, the extraction solution may include water, and mixing the wet meal 36 with the extraction solution may include adding water in an appropriate ratio. For example, the wet meal 36 may be mixed with water in a ratio of water to wet meal ingredients (e.g., dry weight of wet meal ingredients) of about 6:1 to 20:1, or a ratio of water to wet meal ingredients (e.g., dry weight of wet meal ingredients) of about 10:1 to 15:1. In some cases, the ratio may be about 10:1 water to wet meal ingredients. The mixture can be heated to a temperature of about 50-200°F (10-93°C), or about 100-140°F (37-60°C), or about 140°F (60°C), or about 130-138°F (54-59°C). In some cases, the pH is adjusted to about pH 5-8 or about pH 5.5 using a suitable acid / base (e.g., a base such as NaOH, KOH, and / or other suitable acid / base). Salt may also be added to the mixture 80. In some cases, the salt can be NaCl. The salt can be added such that the mixture 80 has a salt concentration of about 0.05-2.0M NaCl, or about 0.1-1.0M NaCl, or about 0.25-0.5M NaCl, or about 0.25M NaCl. With mixture 80 adjusted to the desired temperature and salt concentration, the mixture can be held (e.g., held for the duration of the extraction period) in a suitable vessel (e.g., a batch tank, continuous stirred tank, continuous mixed flow reactor, or the like) for about 0.5-6 hours or about 2 hours to extract the target materials. For example, proteins (e.g., insoluble proteins, polymeric proteins, helianthinins, globulins, albumins (e.g., residual albumin), combinations thereof, and / or the like), chlorogenic acid, and / or other target materials can be extracted into the aqueous phase.The step of retaining the mixture to allow for extraction of the target material (e.g., a second extraction) is generally indicated in Figure 3 using the reference numeral 82. The result of the second extraction 82 is an extraction mixture 84.

[0118] As with the first extraction, in at least some cases, the second extraction 82 can be understood to be performed without the use of organic solvents that may affect (e.g., degrade) other materials present in the ground material. Thus, the second extraction 82 can be performed without the use of organic solvents or can otherwise be considered organic solvent-free (e.g., the extraction process is performed without the use of organic solvents). That is, the second extraction can be an organic solvent-free extraction. For example, the second extraction 82 can be performed without the use of hexane or can otherwise be considered hexane-free (e.g., the extraction process is performed without the use of hexane). That is, the second extraction 82 can be an hexane-free extraction. In these and other cases, the second extraction 82 can be performed with materials that have reduced or minimal impacts on the substances of interest in the undried meal 36, reduced environmental impacts, and / or reduced impacts on human health. For example, the second extraction can be performed with materials that have reduced or minimal impacts on chlorogenic acid in the undried meal 36 (e.g., reduced or minimal potential for degradation of chlorogenic acid during the second extraction 82). For purposes of this disclosure, water is not considered an organic solvent.

[0119] After the second extraction 82, the extracted mixture 84 can be separated using a separation process. The separation process is indicated in FIG. 3 using reference numbers 86a, 86b, 86c. Separating the extracted mixture 84 can include conveying the mixture / slurred to a suitable solid / liquid separation unit for a separation / decanting process to separate the extracted mixture 84 into a liquid or aqueous phase 88 (e.g., the process is indicated by reference number 86a) and a solid or never-dried meal 90 (e.g., the process is indicated by reference number 86b; the never-dried meal 90 may be further processed). In some cases, the separation process can include decanting and / or the use of a decanter centrifuge. In addition to separating the aqueous phase 88 from the never-dried meal 90, the separation / decanting process can separate the seed oil 40 from the extracted mixture 84, as indicated by reference number 32c. It can be appreciated that other separation / decanting processes may also be utilized, including, for example, the use of one or more filters, disc stack centrifuges, settling chambers, combinations thereof, and / or the like. In some cases, an additional centrifugation process 92 (e.g., with a disc stack centrifuge) may be used to remove additional seed oil 40 from the aqueous phase 88. However, this process is considered optional.

[0120] The non-dried meal 90 can be washed, for example, to reduce salt content, where water can be added in a ratio of 5:1 to 20:1 or about 10:1. The washed non-dried meal 90 can then be sent to a solid-liquid separation process, and the meal can then be dried, for example, to form a vegetable flour. Drying can include using roll dryers, flash dryers, ring dryers, combinations thereof, and / or the like.

[0121] The aqueous phase 88 may be subjected to a precipitation process 92. For example, the aqueous phase 88 may be adjusted to its pH of about 3-5 or about 4-4.25 by adding an appropriate acid / base (e.g., HCl). Proteins present in the aqueous phase 88 may be insolubilized and precipitated. The materials are mixed and conveyed / transferred to a liquid-solid separation unit. The precipitated protein stream, indicated by reference number 94, may be separated into a liquid 98 (e.g., a separation process indicated by reference number 96a) and a solid, protein precipitate 100 (e.g., this process indicated by reference number 96b). This may include using filters, centrifuges, combinations thereof, and / or the like. The solids 100 may be recovered and further washed. The liquid 98 may undergo further filtration processes. For example, the liquid 98 may undergo microfiltration and / or ultrafiltration processes (e.g., indicated by reference numbers 102a, 102b in FIG. 3). This can include the use of an ultrafiltration membrane with a pore size of about 10-2000 kDa or about 30-80 kDa that can separate the liquid into a permeate component 104 and a retained component 106. The retained component 106 can include additional proteins obtained from the liquid that did not precipitate during the precipitation processes 96a, 96b. The permeate component 104 can be subjected to a reverse osmosis membrane process (e.g., indicated by reference numbers 108a, 108b in FIG. 3). For example, the permeate component 104 can be sent to a reverse osmosis membrane to separate the salts 72 from the water 74. This allows the water 74 to be reused in one or more of the processes disclosed herein, thereby reducing overall water usage. In some cases, the reverse osmosis membrane can take the form of a high salt retention membrane (e.g., 95% or more). Similar to the water 74, the retained salts 72 can also be reused in one or more of the processes disclosed herein, thereby reducing overall salt usage.

[0122] The solids 100 resulting from the separation process 96b can be washed using a washing process 110 to form a washed protein slurry 112, which can include adding water to remove salts and other materials from the protein. In some cases, water can be added to provide a water to dry weight ratio of 10:1 to 100:1, or a water to dry weight ratio of about 50:1. The pH can be adjusted to accommodate the precipitation conditions, and the slurry can be subjected to further separation processes. In some cases, the washing process 110 and the separation process 96b can be combined into a single process.

[0123] The washed protein slurry 112 may be further subjected to a separation process (e.g., as indicated by reference numbers 114a, 114b in FIG. 3). The separation may separate the washed protein slurry 112 into a solid fraction 116 and a liquid 122. This may include using a filter, a centrifuge, a combination thereof, and / or the like. In the case where a centrifuge is used, the solid fraction 116 may be subjected to a drying process 118. For example, the solid fraction 116 may be conveyed / transferred to a drying device such as a spray dryer, a drum dryer, a flash dryer, a pan dryer, a combination thereof, and / or the like. The solid fraction 106 (e.g., obtained from the filtration process 102a) may also be subjected to the same or a similar drying process 118. In some cases, the drying process may reduce the moisture content to about 10% or less, or about 6% or less. The products resulting from the drying process 118 can be combined to form a solid product 120 comprising proteins (e.g., insoluble proteins, high molecular weight proteins, helianthinins, globulins, albumins (e.g., residual albumin), combinations thereof, and / or the like). The liquid 122 resulting from the separation process 114b can be subjected to a reverse osmosis membrane, which allows the water to be reused in one or more of the processes disclosed herein, thereby reducing overall water usage. In some cases, the reverse osmosis membrane can take the form of a high salt retention membrane (e.g., 95% or greater). Similar to the water, the retained salts can also be reused in one or more of the processes disclosed herein, thereby reducing overall salt usage.

[0124] The extraction process described above with reference to Figures 1-3 can be described as a two-extraction process, for example, a first extraction to separate proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumin, combinations thereof, and / or the like) and chlorogenic acid from the aqueous phase 34, and a second extraction to separate proteins (e.g., insoluble proteins, high molecular weight proteins, helianthin, globulins, albumin (e.g., residual albumin), combinations thereof, and / or the like) from the wet meal 36.

[0125] Other processes utilizing lesser or more extractions are contemplated. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a single extraction process 123 is contemplated. In such a process, many steps similar to those described above (some of which are not shown in FIG. 4) may occur. For example, raw oil seeds 12 may be processed as described with reference to FIG. 1 to form ground material 20. Ground material 20 may be mixed with an extraction mixture (e.g., similar to that described above) and extracted. Extracted mixture 30 may undergo a separation / decanting process (e.g., similar to that described above) to separate extracted mixture 30 into an aqueous phase 34 and wet meal 36.

[0126] In some cases, the aqueous phase 34 can be mixed with a divalent ion, such as calcium chloride (CaCl2). The calcium ion then binds with phytic acid that may be present in the aqueous phase 34, resulting in an insoluble compound that can precipitate. The resulting solids / precipitate can be separated with a suitable separation device, such as a centrifuge, filter, and / or the like. The collected solids (e.g., phytic acid) can be dried, for example, using a suitable process, such as those disclosed herein.

[0127] In a single extraction process 123, the aqueous phase 34 can undergo a series of filtration processes, which can be similar to those disclosed herein, to isolate the substance of interest. For example, a first filtration process (denoted by reference numbers 124a, 124b) can filter the aqueous phase (forming a permeate or filtered aqueous phase 126) and can remove insoluble particles and / or oil 128 from the aqueous phase 34 (which can be recovered, for example, as a processed meal). The first filtration process can be considered a microfiltration process using filters with pore sizes ranging from about 0.05 to 2 microns, or about 0.2 microns. In some cases, the filters can be cross-flow filtration units, dead-end filters, and / or the like. When a cross-flow filtration unit is used, diafiltration can be used to increase the recovery of the target material in the filtered aqueous phase 126.

[0128] The filtered aqueous phase 126 may undergo another filtration process (indicated by reference numerals 130a, 130b) to separate the filtered aqueous phase 126 into a retentate component 132 and a permeate component 134. The filtration processes 130a, 130b may take the form of an ultrafiltration process. The retentate component 132 may be processed by an evaporation process 136 to form an evaporated retentate component 138, and / or through a drying process 140 to form a dry material 142. The dry material 142 may include proteins (e.g., insoluble proteins, high molecular weight proteins, helianthinins, globulins, albumins (e.g., residual albumin), combinations thereof, and / or the like).

[0129] The permeate component 134 may undergo another filtration process (indicated by reference numerals 144a, 144b) to separate the permeate component 134 into a retained component 146 and a permeate component 148. The filtration processes 144a, 144b may take the form of ultrafiltration and / or nanofiltration processes. The retained component 146 may be processed by an evaporation process 150 to form an evaporated retained component 152 and / or through a drying process 154 to form a dry material 156. The dry material 156 may include proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumin, combinations thereof, and / or the like).

[0130] The permeate component 148 may undergo another filtration process (indicated by reference numerals 158a, 158b) to separate the permeate component 148 into a retained component 160 and a permeate component 162. The filtration processes 158a, 158b may take the form of a nanofiltration process. The retained component 160 may be processed by an evaporation process 164 to form an evaporated retained component 166 and / or through a drying process 168 to form a dry material 170. The dry material 170 may contain chlorogenic acid.

[0131] It can be appreciated that the various processes that make up the single extraction process 123 can utilize the processes disclosed herein, such as oil removal, centrifugation, diafiltration, reverse osmosis to recover water and / or salts, and / or the like.

[0132] Also, as shown in Figure 5, three extraction processes 172 are also contemplated. For example, raw oil seeds 12 can be processed as described with reference to Figure 1 to form ground material 20. Ground material 20 can be mixed with an extraction mixture (e.g., similar to that described above) and extracted. Extracted mixture 30 can undergo a separation / decanting process (e.g., similar to that described above) to separate extracted mixture 30 into aqueous phase 34 (e.g., as indicated by reference numeral 32a) and wet meal 36 (e.g., as indicated by reference numeral 32a).

[0133] In some cases, the aqueous phase 34 may undergo a centrifugation step as described above, which may help remove oil from the aqueous phase 34. In some cases, the aqueous phase 34 can be mixed with a divalent ion, such as calcium chloride (CaCl2). The calcium ion then binds with phytic acid that may be present in the aqueous phase 34, resulting in an insoluble compound that can precipitate. The resulting solids / precipitate can be separated with a suitable separation device, such as a centrifuge, filter, and / or the like. The collected solids (e.g., phytic acid) can be dried, for example, using a suitable process such as those disclosed herein.

[0134] The aqueous phase 34 may undergo a filtration process 174. In some cases, the filtration process 174 may be a nanofiltration process and / or an ultrafiltration process. For example, the aqueous phase 34 may be conveyed / transferred to a nanofiltration member having a nominal pore size of about 200-800 Daltons or about 300-600 Daltons. The nanofiltration membrane may then separate a retained component 176 from the aqueous phase 34. In at least some cases, the retained component 176 may include a target material such as chlorogenic acid. The retained component 176 may have a solids concentration of about 2-20% solids or more, about 10% solids or more, or about 5% solids or more. The solids composition may be about 40-80% chlorogenic acid, or about 50-80% chlorogenic acid, or about 70-80% chlorogenic acid.

[0135] In some cases, the retentate 176 can undergo one or more drying processes. For example, the retentate 176 can undergo an evaporation process 178, which can include conveying / transferring the retentate 176 to an evaporator to concentrate the solids. The evaporator can have a liquid output that is about 20-50% solids by weight, or about 10-20% solids by weight. In some cases, the evaporator can operate at a temperature of about 120-160° F. (48-72° C.) and a vacuum pressure of about 0.1-10 psi.

[0136] The retentate 176 (and / or the evaporated retentate, indicated with reference number 180) can undergo one or more further drying processes, such as a drying process 182 (e.g., a spray drying process). For example, the retentate 176 and / or the evaporated retentate 180 can be conveyed / transferred to a drying device, such as a spray dryer, drum dryer, flash dryer, pan dryer, combinations thereof, and / or the like. In some cases, the drying device can reduce the moisture content to about 10% or less, or about 6% or less. As a result of the drying process, a solid product 184 comprising chlorogenic acid is obtained.

[0137] The non-dried meal 36 can undergo a second extraction process. The second extraction process can be similar to other extraction processes disclosed herein. For example, the non-dried meal 36 can be mixed with water in a ratio of about 6:1 to 20:1 water to non-dried meal ingredients (e.g., dry weight of non-dried meal ingredients), or a ratio of about 10:1 to 15:1 water to non-dried meal ingredients (e.g., dry weight of non-dried meal ingredients). In some cases, the ratio can be about 10:1 water to non-dried meal ingredients. The mixture can be heated to a temperature of about 50 to 200°F (10 to 93°C), or about 100 to 140°F (37 to 60°C), or about 140°F (60°C), or about 130 to 138°F (54 to 59°C). In some cases, the pH is adjusted to about pH 2-8, or about pH 3-6, or about pH 4.0 with a suitable acid / base (e.g., an acid such as HCl, a base such as NaOH or KOH, and / or other suitable acid / base). A salt may also be added to the mixture. In some cases, the salt may be NaCl. The salt may be added such that the mixture has a salt concentration of about 0.05-2.0 M NaCl, or about 0.1-1.0 M NaCl, or about 0.25-0.5 M NaCl, or about 0.25 M NaCl. With the mixture adjusted to the desired temperature and salt concentration, the mixture may be held (e.g., held for the duration of the extraction) in a suitable vessel (e.g., a batch tank, a continuous stirred tank, a continuous mixed flow reactor, or the like) for about 0.5-6 hours or about 2 hours to extract the target material. For example, proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumin, combinations thereof, and / or the like) and / or other target materials may be extracted into the aqueous phase.

[0138] The extracted wet meal 36 may undergo a separation / decanting process (e.g., similar to that described above) to separate the extracted wet meal 36 into an aqueous phase 188 (e.g., as indicated by reference numeral 186a) and a second wet meal 189 (e.g., as indicated by reference numeral 186a).

[0139] Filtration process 190 can filter the aqueous phase 188 to form a retentate component 192. Filtration process 190 can be considered a nanofiltration process using filters with pore sizes in the range of about 200-800 Daltons or about 300-600 Daltons.

[0140] The retained component 192 is processed by an evaporation process 194 to form an evaporated retained component 196, and / or through a drying process 198 to form a dry material 200. The dry material 200 may include proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumin, combinations thereof, and / or the like).

[0141] The second wet meal 189 may undergo a third extraction similar to that described above. For example, the second wet meal 189 may be mixed with water in a ratio of about 6:1 to 20:1 water to wet meal ingredients (e.g., dry weight of wet meal ingredients), or about 10:1 to 15:1 water to wet meal ingredients (e.g., dry weight of wet meal ingredients). In some cases, the ratio may be about 10:1 water to wet meal ingredients. The mixture may be heated to a temperature of about 50 to 200°F (10 to 93°C), or about 100 to 140°F (37 to 60°C), or about 140°F (60°C), or about 130 to 138°F (54 to 59°C). In some cases, the pH is adjusted to about pH 5-8 or about pH 5.5 using a suitable acid / base (e.g., an acid such as HCl, a base such as NaOH or KOH, and / or other suitable acid / base). A salt may also be added to the mixture. In some cases, the salt may be NaCl. The salt may be added such that the mixture has a salt concentration of about 0.05-2.0 M NaCl, or about 0.1-1.0 M NaCl, or about 0.25-0.5 M NaCl, or about 0.25 M NaCl. With the mixture adjusted to the desired temperature and salt concentration, the mixture may be held (e.g., held for the duration of the extraction) in a suitable vessel (e.g., a batch tank, a continuous stirred tank, a continuous mixed flow reactor, or the like) for about 0.5-6 hours or about 2 hours to extract the target material. For example, proteins (e.g., insoluble proteins, high molecular weight proteins, helianthinins, globulins, albumins (e.g., residual albumin), combinations thereof, and / or the like), chlorogenic acid, and / or other target materials can be extracted into the aqueous phase.

[0142] The extracted second wet meal 189 may undergo a separation / decanting process (e.g., similar to that described above) to separate it into an aqueous phase 204 (e.g., as indicated by reference numeral 202a) and a third wet meal 206 (e.g., as indicated by reference numeral 202b). The third wet meal may be dried to form a vegetable meal or vegetable flour.

[0143] The filtration process 208 can filter the aqueous phase 204 to form a retentate component 210. The filtration process 208 can be considered an ultrafiltration process using filters with pore sizes ranging from about 10-2000 kDa or about 30-80 kDa. When using a cross-flow filtration unit, diafiltration can be used to increase the recovery of target materials in the retentate component 210.

[0144] The retained component 210 is processed by an evaporation process 212 to form an evaporated retained component 214, and / or through a drying process 216 to form a dry material 218. The dry material 218 may include proteins (e.g., insoluble proteins, high molecular weight proteins, helianthinins, globulins, albumins (e.g., residual albumin), combinations thereof, and / or the like).

[0145] In some cases, the permeate from the filtration process 208 can be sent to an adsorption column packed with adsorption beads, e.g., adsorption beads that selectively adsorb chlorogenic acid and allow most other substances to pass through. The chlorogenic acid can then be eluted from the column using a pH swing or another solvent, such as ethanol. Other permeates disclosed herein can be similarly processed, such as permeates through microfiltration membranes / filters, permeates through ultrafiltration membranes / filters, etc.

[0146] Many applications are contemplated for using the extracted / isolated materials disclosed herein and / or the processes disclosed herein, including the use of the extracted and isolated materials in food products.

[0147] One example of an application is a plant-based cheese. The plant-based cheese can include soluble sunflower proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumins, combinations thereof, and / or the like) isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein. The soluble sunflower proteins (e.g., about 0.5-5%, or about 1-3%, or about 2.0%) can be mixed with other ingredients such as almond milk (e.g., about 20-40%, or about 25-35%, or about 31.8%), coconut oil (e.g., about 2-10%, or about 4-6%, or about 5.2%), potato starch (e.g., about 2-10%, or about 4-6%, or about 5.2%), tapioca flour (e.g., about 2-10%, or about 2-20%), and / or other ingredients such as corn flour (e.g., about 2-20%, or about 2-20%). or about 3-5%, or about 4.0%), nutritional yeast (e.g., about 1-3%, or about 1.5-1.8%, or about 1.6%), xanthan gum (e.g., about 0.01-1%, or about 0.05-0.15%, or about 0.1%), and salt (e.g., about 0.1-2%, or about 0.5-1.5%, or about 0.6%). The percentages given are weight percentages of all starting materials. The combination (e.g., almond milk mixture) can be mixed / blended until a desired creamy consistency is reached.

[0148] Alternatively, an agar solution can be formed by combining water (e.g., about 30-60%, or about 40-50%, or about 45.7%) with agar (e.g., about 2-6%, or about 3-4.5%, or about 3.9%) and heating until the agar dissolves. The agar solution can be further cooked (e.g., covered over low heat) until thickened.

[0149] The almond milk mixture may be combined with the thickened agar solution. This may include adding a portion (e.g., about half) of the almond milk mixture to the thickened agar solution with mixing, followed by the remainder of the almond milk mixture. This may be done over low heat until the mixture releases from the sides of the heating vessel, thereby forming a plant-based cheese. The plant-based cheese may be allowed to cool (e.g., placed in a suitable container and refrigerated).

[0150] Another example of the application is vegetable ice cream, which can include soluble sunflower proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumins, combinations thereof, and / or the like) isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein, and insoluble sunflower proteins (e.g., insoluble proteins, high molecular weight proteins, helianthinins, globulins, albumins (e.g., residual albumins), combinations thereof, and / or the like) isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein. Insoluble sunflower protein (e.g., about 1-8%, or about 2-6%, or about 4%) and soluble sunflower protein (e.g., about 0.5-5%, or about 1-3%, or about 2%) can be combined with a stabilizer (e.g., GRINDSTED stabilizer blend; about 0.1-1%, or about 0.2-0.6%, or about 0.4%), pea starch (e.g., about 0.1-3%, or about 0.5-1.5%, or about 1%) with vigorous shaking until completely incorporated. Other ingredients, such as almond milk (e.g., about 10-50%, or about 20-40%, or about 30%), coconut water blend (e.g., about 5-30%, or about 10-20%, or about 14%), sugar (e.g., about 1-10%, or about 4-8%, or about 6%), and allulose (1-30%, or about 5-15%, or about 10%), can be added and thoroughly mixed. Sunflower oil (e.g., about 1-30%, or about 5-15%, or about 10%) can be added and stirred with a powerful impeller type agitator / mixer to form an emulsion. The emulsion is slowly heated with stirring to 163°F (73°C). The emulsion is then rapidly cooled with stirring using an ice bath to a temperature below 70°F.

[0151] The cooled mixture is then placed in a personal or commercial ice cream machine (eg, following manufacturer's guidelines) to form ice cream. Another example of an application is protein-enriched chocolate milk. Protein-enriched chocolate milk can include soluble sunflower proteins (e.g., soluble proteins, low molecular weight proteins, albumins, combinations thereof, and / or the like) isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein. The soluble sunflower proteins can be added to milk, coca (e.g., about 0.5-5%, or about 1-3%, or about 1.5%), calcium carbonate (e.g., about 0.1-2%, or about 0.2-0.8%, or about 0.5%), cellulose gel (e.g., about 0.05-1%, or about 0.1-0.5%, or about 0.3%), natural and artificial flavors (e.g., about 0.05-1%, or ... about 0.1-0.5%, or about 0.2%), salt (e.g., about 0.05-1%, or about 0.1-0.5%, or about 0.15%), carrageenan (e.g., about 0.01-0.5%, or about 0.08-0.12%, or about 0.1%) and cellulose gum (e.g., about 0.01-0.5%, or about 0.08-0.12%, or about 0.1%).

[0152] In some cases, the amount of phytic acid in the soluble sunflower protein can be controlled to adjust the sweetness of the protein-enriched chocolate milk. For example, the soluble sunflower protein can have a phytic acid content of about 1-8% by weight, or about 2-6% by weight. In some cases, a soluble sunflower protein having a sweetness approximately equal to that of sucrose and containing 6% by weight of phytic acid (e.g., about 1-10%, or about 4-5%, or about 4.4%) can be combined with milk (e.g., 1% milk; about 80-96% or about 90-95% or about 92.75%) and the remaining ingredients listed above. In some cases, a soluble sunflower protein having approximately twice the sweetness of sucrose and containing 4% by weight phytic acid (e.g., about 0.5-5%, or about 1-3%, or about 2.17%) can be combined with milk (e.g., 1% milk; about 85-98%, or about 94-96%, or about 94.98%) and the remaining ingredients listed above. In some cases, a soluble sunflower protein having approximately 5 times the sweetness of sucrose and containing 2% by weight phytic acid (e.g., about 0.1-2%, or about 0.5-1.5%, or about 0.8%) can be combined with milk (e.g., 1% milk; about 85-99%, or about 94-97%, or about 96.35%) and the remaining ingredients listed above. These are just a few examples. Other compositions are contemplated.

[0153] Another example of the application is a protein-enriched sports drink. The protein-enriched sports drink can include soluble sunflower protein (e.g., soluble protein, low molecular weight protein, albumin, combinations thereof, and / or the like) isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein. The soluble sunflower protein can be combined with water, electrolytes (e.g., electrolyte solutions and / or suitable salts), and other substances (e.g., natural and / or artificial flavors, natural and / or artificial colors, sugar and / or sugar substitutes, and / or the like).

[0154] In some cases, the amount of phytic acid in the soluble sunflower protein can be controlled to adjust the sweetness of the protein-fortified sports drink. In some cases, less sugar and / or sugar substitutes can be added to the protein-fortified sports drink. In some of these and other cases, the sweetness of the soluble sunflower protein can allow substantially no sugar or sugar substitutes to be added to the protein-fortified sports drink. For example, the soluble sunflower protein can have a phytic acid content of about 1-8% by weight, or about 2-6% by weight. In some cases, the soluble sunflower protein, which has a sweetness approximately equal to that of sucrose and contains 6% by weight of phytic acid, can be combined with water, electrolytes, and other desired ingredients. In some cases, the soluble sunflower protein, which has a sweetness approximately twice that of sucrose and contains 4% by weight of phytic acid, can be combined with water, electrolytes, and other desired ingredients. In some cases, soluble sunflower protein, which has a sweetness approximately five times that of sucrose and contains 2% by weight of phytic acid, can be combined with water, electrolytes, and other desired ingredients. These are only examples. Other compositions are contemplated.

[0155] The resulting protein-enriched sports drink may have desirable clarity (e.g., no haze or generally reduced levels of haze). Additionally, the use of soluble sunflower protein may allow for higher levels of protein per ounce. For example, the resulting protein-enriched sports drink may have about 0.75 to 1.5 grams of protein per ounce of sports drink, or about 1 gram of protein per ounce of sports drink. EXAMPLES

[0156] The present disclosure may be further clarified by reference to the following examples, some of which are prescient in nature and serve to illustrate some embodiments, but are in no way intended to limit the present disclosure in any way.

[0157] Example 1 Extraction of albumin, chlorogenic acid (CGA), phytic acid, and helianthin from sunflower seeds Sunflower seeds were obtained commercially. The sunflower seeds were dehulled, cold pressed and ground. The ground material was subjected to an extraction process substantially as disclosed herein with reference to FIG. 4. Albumin, chlorogenic acid, phytic acid and helianthinin were isolated from the sunflower seeds.

[0158] The ground seeds were mixed with water in a 10:1 water to dry weight ratio, NaCl was added to a 0.5M NaCl solution, heated to approximately 59°C (138F) and mixed for 2 hours. After 2 hours, the slurry was separated using a decanter centrifuge. The solid stream was mixed with water in a 10:1 water to dry weight ratio and decanted again while combining the liquid streams from the first and second decanters. The solid stream was dried to form sunflower meal. This liquid stream was mixed with CaCl2 at 2.5% by weight of the meal in the first extraction slurry. The pH was then raised to 5.8 with NaOH and sent to a three-phase disc stack centrifuge to collect the oil / oil:water emulsion as a light stream, an aqueous stream containing proteins (albumin and helianthinin) and CGA, and a wet solids stream was discharged. The aqueous stream was sent to a 0.2 micron microfiltration membrane to concentrate the stream by 4 times, after which diafiltrate water was added. Diafiltrate was added at 0.25 times the initial volume of the stream sent to the membrane. The retentate consisted of large particles (mainly sunflower meal and oil not separated in the disc stack centrifuge) and the clarified permeate contained proteins and CGAs. The permeate was then sent to a 30 kDa ultrafiltration membrane. The retentate was concentrated to 5 times the starting volume and diafiltrate was added at 0.5 times the volume of the material sent to the ultrafiltration membrane. The retentate contained helianthinin and the permeate contained albumin and CGAs. The retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate the solids to 15% and then to a flash dryer to create a dry insoluble sunflower protein powder with 90% protein by weight. The permeate was sent to a 1 kDa ultrafiltration membrane. The retentate was concentrated to 10 times the starting volume and diafiltrate was added at 0.5 times the volume of the material sent to the membrane. The retentate contained albumin and the permeate contained CGA. The retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate the solids to 40% by weight and then sent to a spray dryer to create dried soluble sunflower protein with 90% by weight protein. The permeate was sent to a 300 Da nanofiltration membrane and concentrated by 20 times. Diafiltrate water was added at 0.25 times the amount of material sent to the membrane.The permeate contained mainly NaCl, and the retentate contained CGA. The bulk of the CGA retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate it to 10% solids and then sent to a spray dryer to produce a dried CGA powder with 60% CGA by weight.

[0159] Example 2 Extraction of albumin, chlorogenic acid (CGA), phytic acid, and helianthin from sunflower seeds Sunflower seeds were obtained commercially. The sunflower seeds were dehulled, cold pressed and ground. The ground material was subjected to an extraction process substantially as disclosed herein with reference to Figures 1-3. Albumin, chlorogenic acid, phytic acid and helianthinin were isolated from the sunflower seeds.

[0160] The crushed and pressed seeds were mixed with water in a 10:1 water to dry weight ratio, NaCl was added to provide a 0.5M NaCl solution, pH was maintained at 4.0, heated to approximately 59°C (138°F) and mixed for 2 hours. After 2 hours, the slurry was separated using a decanter centrifuge. The solid stream was mixed with water in a 10:1 water to dry weight ratio and decanted again while the liquid streams from the first and second decanters were combined. The solid stream was retained for further extraction. The liquid streams from both decanters were sent to a three-phase clarifier disc stack centrifuge to remove residual oil and residual insoluble solids. The clarified stream was sent to a 0.1 micron microfiltration membrane to remove any residual oil or insoluble species. The permeate was mixed with calcium chloride and sent to a disc stack centrifuge to remove precipitated phytic acid. The collected solids were dried in a fluid bed dryer to form a dry calcium phytate powder. The liquid stream from the disc stack centrifuge was then sent to a 1 kDa ultrafiltration membrane, and diafiltrate was added at a rate of 0.5 times the amount of material sent to the membrane to pass the chlorogenic acid to the permeate. The retentate contained albumin and the permeate contained CGA. The retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate the solids to 40% by weight and then to a spray dryer to create a dry soluble sunflower protein with 90% by weight protein. The permeate was sent to a 300 Da nanofiltration membrane and concentrated to 20 times. Diafiltrate was added at a rate of 0.25 times the amount of material sent to the membrane. The permeate contained mainly NaCl and the retentate contained CGA. The bulk of the CGA retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate the solids to 10% and then to a spray dryer to create a dry CGA powder with 60% by weight CGA.

[0161] The retained solids stream from the second decanter was mixed with water in a ratio of 15:1, NaCl was added to a 0.5M NaCl solution, pH was maintained at 5.8, heated to about 59°C (138°F) and mixed for 2 hours. After 2 hours, the slurry was separated using a decanter centrifuge. The solids stream was mixed with water in a water to dry weight ratio of 10:1 and decanted again while combining the liquid streams from the first and second decanters. The solids stream was dried to form sunflower meal. The combined liquid stream was passed through a 0.1 micron microfiltration membrane to remove any lipids / oils and insoluble species. The permeate was mixed with hydrochloric acid to a pH of 4.0 and the precipitate was collected using a decanter centrifuge. The solids stream was retained. The liquid stream was sent to a 30 kDa ultrafiltration membrane to retain the remaining protein and pass the salts to the permeate. Diafiltrate water was added at 0.5 times the feed volume. The retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate the solids to 15% and then mixed with the retained solids obtained from the precipitation step and sent to a flash dryer to create a dry insoluble sunflower protein powder with 90% protein by weight.

[0162] Example 3 emulsification Soluble protein was isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein. Protein may be used as an emulsifier. For example, protein can be mixed with many different oils to form vegetable mayonnaise, creamy dressing, non-dairy milk, and / or the like. For example, 6g of protein isolated from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein was mixed with 14g of water. The mixture was added to a food processor. The food processor was turned on and 1 / 2 cup of canola oil was slowly added to the mixture over approximately 2 minutes. After all the oil was added, the resulting mixture, which can take the form of mayonnaise, was processed for an additional 30 seconds.

[0163] Example 4 Foam Stability Soluble protein was isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein. The protein was used to test its ability to form a stable foam. The foam stability test was performed at three pH levels: pH 4, natural pH (5.5), and pH 7. To test the foam stability, a 400 mL beaker was filled with 20 mL of a 0.5% solids solution of soluble protein. The 0.5% solids solution contained soluble protein isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein. The liquid was frothed for 1 minute in a Bodum Schiuma handheld Milk Frother. The foam was then transferred to a 250 mL graduated cylinder. The initial foam volume was recorded. The foam volume was recorded every minute for 10 minutes. The foam stability test was performed at room temperature (21° C.).

[0164] A first trial was conducted to determine the foam stability of the soluble protein. The first trial demonstrated that the soluble protein was able to maintain a stable foam for an extended period of time. In particular, at pH 4 and pH 5.5, the soluble protein was able to maintain 72% and 76% of the original foam volume after 10 minutes, respectively. The results of this foam stability test are shown in Table 2.

[0165] [Table 2]

[0166] A second trial was conducted to determine the foam stability of the soluble protein. The second trial also demonstrated that the soluble protein was able to maintain a stable foam for an extended period of time. In particular, at pH 4, the soluble protein was able to maintain 56% of its original foam volume after 10 minutes. The results of this foam stability test are shown in Table 3.

[0167] [Table 3]

[0168] Example 5 Premixed drinks Soluble protein was isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein. A powder mix was formed by combining isolated protein (78.3%), cocoa powder (11.6%), sugar (5.8%), xantham gum (2.0%), salt (1.2%), vanilla extract (0.9%), and swingle extract (0.2%). 35 g of the powder mix was mixed / blended with approximately 340 grams (12 ounces) of water to form a beverage.

[0169] Example 6 High Protein Crackers Soluble protein was isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein. A mixture was formed by combining soluble protein (12.2%), flour (49.3%), unsalted butter (20.10%), water (15.8%), and baking soda (2.5). More specifically, the flour, soluble protein, and baking soda were mixed until thoroughly combined, and then the cold butter was mixed in until thoroughly combined. Water (room temperature) was added and the dough was kneaded until smooth. The dough was formed into the desired shape (e.g., rectangle), wrapped in plastic, and allowed to rest for 30 minutes. The formed dough was rolled out to a thickness of about 1.6 millimeters (about 1 / 16 inch) and then baked for about 7 minutes. In some cases, the rolled dough was lightly brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt before baking.

[0170] Example 7 High protein chocolate chip cookies Soluble protein was isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein. A mixture was formed by combining soluble protein (13.29%), flour (27.79%), semisweet chocolate chips (18.92%), eggs (11.98%), unsalted butter (11.19%), sugar (8.13%), light brown sugar (8.13%), vanilla extract (0.21%), baking soda (0.21%) and salt (0.15%). More specifically, the sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs were mixed together and then the flour, soluble protein, baking soda and salt were added to form a dough. The chocolate chips were added. The dough was formed into a ball and baked at about 180°C (350°F) for about 8-9 minutes.

[0171] Example 8 Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar Soluble protein was isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein. A mixture was formed by combining soluble protein (22.6%), quick oats (15.13%), almonds (15.13%), peanut butter (12.10%), chocolate chips (10.92%), dates (9.43%), maple syrup (5.26%), water (4.52%), cocoa powder (3.77%), vanilla extract (0.66%), and salt (0.53%). More specifically, the dates, quick oats, and almonds were processed using a food processor until the dates were in pea-sized pieces. The soluble protein and cocoa powder were added and the mixture was further processed. The chocolate chips were melted and added to the mixture along with the remaining ingredients. The mixture was processed until well combined. The processed mixture was placed between two baking sheets and rolled out to a thickness of approximately 1.3 centimeters (half an inch). The material was then cut into bars using a knife.

[0172] Example 9 Foods / drinks using soluble proteins Soluble protein is isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein and can be used to form a number of different beverages, including plant-based milks, protein drinks, nutritional / protein bars, confectioneries, and / or the like.

[0173] Example 10 Other uses Proteins isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein can be used as emulsifiers (e.g., food ingredients that aid in the formation and stabilization of emulsions). Emulsions are oil-in-water or water-in-oil mixtures that are stable and provide texture and flavor to food systems. Food products that can utilize such isolated / extracted sunflower proteins can include mayonnaise, creamy dressings, non-dairy milks, oil-based beverages, etc.

[0174] The protein isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein can be used as a foam stabilizer. Foam is a stable mixture of air in a liquid that the protein helps to create and stabilize structure. Food products that can utilize such isolated / extracted sunflower proteins can include meringues, whipped cream, dairy foam (foam on top of cappuccino coffee, mousse, dairy desserts, etc.), ice cream (e.g., with foam structure elements), etc.

[0175] Proteins isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein can be used as gelling agents. Protein gels are formed when proteins crosslink and provide viscosity and stability to solutions, including solid forms. Food products that can utilize such isolated / extracted sunflower proteins include salad dressings, gelatin snacks, etc.

[0176] Proteins isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the process disclosed herein can be used as viscosity agents. The proteins form cross-links and interact with other food ingredients to provide viscosity. Food products that can utilize such isolated / extracted sunflower proteins include beverages, sauces, dairy analogs, flavor enhancers, mouthfeel enhancers, etc.

[0177] Proteins isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein can be used as flavor enhancers. Proteins isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein can be used as soluble protein products that can affect the taste, texture, and appearance of the resulting food and / or beverage. Food products that can utilize such isolated / extracted sunflower proteins include plant-based milks, protein beverages (e.g., ready-to-drink), nutritional bars, protein confectioneries, etc.

[0178] Proteins isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein can be used for their water retention, which is the ability of the food to retain its own or added water while subjecting the food to force, pressure, centrifugation, heat, etc. Food products that can utilize such isolated / extracted sunflower proteins include meat substitutes, soy substitutes, etc.

[0179] Using the processes disclosed herein, the proteins isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds and / or other materials isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds can be used to add nutrition to foods (e.g., to enhance the protein content of foods). The nutritional ingredients can include the addition of proteins and / or other ingredients of sunflower seeds, such as phenols, phytic acid, chlorogenic acid, and / or the like. The isolated / extracted ingredients can be understood to be dietary supplements.

[0180] Other uses may include bakery applications (e.g., yeast-raised and / or chemically leavened products), cereals, puffed snacks, meat analogs, toffee, nougat, chocolate products, protein bits, gluten-free flour blends, batters, coatings, and the like.

[0181] Example 11 Plant-based cheese Soluble proteins were isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein.

[0182] The percentages given are by weight of all starting materials. To formulate the plant-based cheese, almond milk (31.8%), coconut oil (5.2%), potato starch (5.2%), tapioca flour (4.0%), soluble protein isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds (2.0%), nutritional yeast (1.6%), xanthan gum (0.1%), and salt (0.6%) were added to a blender and blended until creamy. This process formed an almond milk mixture.

[0183] In a small saucepan, water (45.7%) was combined with agar-agar (3.9%) and heated over low-medium heat until the agar was dissolved. The pot was then covered, reduced to low heat, and simmered for an additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickened. This process formed the agar-agar mixture.

[0184] Half of the almond milk mixture was added to the agar mixture and mixed quickly. The remaining almond milk mixture was then added with continuous mixing. Over low-medium heat, mix continuously until the cheese was no longer sticking to the sides of the pan, approximately 5-10 minutes.

[0185] The cheese was then placed in a glass container and refrigerated for at least 6 hours before being sliced ​​and / or shredded. Example 12 Plant-based ice cream Using the processes disclosed herein, insoluble and soluble proteins were isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds.

[0186] The percentages given are by weight of all starting materials. To formulate the vegetable ice cream, water (22.2%), insoluble protein isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds (4.0%), soluble protein isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds (2.0%), GRINDSTED stabilizer blend (0.4%) and pea starch (1%) were combined by thorough mixing with vigorous shaking until fully incorporated. Almond milk (30%), coconut water blend (14%), sugar (6%), allulose (10%) were added and thoroughly mixed. Sunflower oil (10%) was added and shaken with a powerful impeller agitator / mixer to form an emulsion. The emulsion was slowly heated with stirring to 163°F (73°C). The emulsion was then rapidly cooled to a temperature below about 21°C (70°F) with shaking using an ice bath.

[0187] The cooled mixture was then placed into a pre-chilled ice cream maker (Breville BCI600) and frozen to a semi-hard consistency (overrun target was 30%) while shaking with the ice cream machine. The ice cream was allowed to set in a standard freezer.

[0188] Example 13 Extraction of albumin, chlorogenic acid (CGA), phytic acid, and helianthin from sunflower seeds Sunflower seeds were obtained commercially. The sunflower seeds were dehulled, cold pressed, and ground. The dehulled, pressed, and ground seeds contained 33% protein, 25% oil, 2% CGA, and 3.8% phytic acid. The ground material was subjected to an extraction process substantially as disclosed herein with reference to FIG. 4. Albumin, chlorogenic acid, phytic acid, and helianthinin were isolated from the sunflower seeds.

[0189] The ground seeds were mixed with water in a 10:1 water to dry weight ratio, NaCl was added to a 0.5M NaCl solution, heated to about 59°C (138F) and mixed for 2 hours. After 2 hours, the slurry was separated using a decanter centrifuge. The solid stream was mixed with water in a 10:1 water to dry weight ratio and decanted again while combining the liquid streams from the first and second decanters. The solid stream was dried to form sunflower meal. This liquid stream was mixed with 3.86% CaCl2 by weight relative to the meal in the first extraction slurry. The pH was then raised to 5.8 with NaOH and sent to a three-phase disc stack centrifuge to collect the oil / oil:water emulsion as a light stream, an aqueous stream containing proteins (albumin and helianthinin) and CGA, and a wet solids stream was discharged. The solid stream contains >99% of the phytic acid from the extraction stream. The aqueous stream was sent to a 0.2 micron microfiltration membrane, the stream was concentrated by 4 times, and then diafiltrate was added. The diafiltrate was added at 0.25 times the initial volume of the stream sent to the membrane. The retentate consisted of larger particles (mainly sunflower meal and oil that was not separated in the disc stack centrifuge), and the clarified permeate contained proteins and CGAs. The permeate was then sent to a 30 kDa ultrafiltration membrane. The retentate was concentrated to 5 times the starting volume, and diafiltrate was added at 0.5 times the volume of the material sent to the membrane. The retentate contained helianthinin, and the permeate contained albumin and CGAs. The retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate the solids to 15% and then to a flash dryer to create a dry insoluble sunflower protein powder with 90% protein by weight. The permeate was sent to a 1 kDa ultrafiltration membrane. The retentate was concentrated to 10 times the starting volume and diafiltrate was added at 0.5 times the volume of the material sent to the ultrafiltration membrane. The retentate contained albumin and the permeate contained CGA. The retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate to 40% solids by weight and then sent to a spray dryer to create a dry soluble sunflower protein with 90% protein by weight. The permeate was sent to a 300 Da nanofiltration membrane and concentrated to 20 times.Diafiltrate water was added at 0.25 times the volume of the material sent to the membrane. The permeate contained mainly NaCl, and the retentate contained CGA. The bulk of the CGA retentate was sent to an evaporator to concentrate to 10% solids and then sent to a spray dryer to produce a dried CGA powder with 60% CGA by weight.

[0190] In some cases, the aqueous phase 34 can be mixed with a divalent ion, such as calcium chloride (CaCl2). The calcium ion then binds with phytic acid that may be present in the aqueous phase 34, resulting in an insoluble compound that can precipitate. The resulting solids / precipitate can be separated with a suitable separation device, such as a centrifuge, filter, and / or the like. The collected solids (e.g., phytic acid) can be dried, for example, using a suitable process such as those disclosed herein.

[0191] Addition of a particular amount of divalent ion to the starting material will result in different levels of phytic acid in the final soluble protein product. As an example, if the feed to an extraction process is 33% protein, 25% oil, 2% CGA, 3.8% phytic acid, and the divalent ion is calcium chloride, adding calcium chloride at the levels shown in Table 1 (as disclosed herein) will result in the relevant levels of phytic acid in the soluble protein product.

[0192] Example 14 Phytic acid content / removal amount The sweetness level of sunflower soluble protein can be adjusted by the amount of phytic acid (PA) remaining in the powder. When the PA content is 4% by weight (dry matter basis) of the protein powder, its sweetness is reduced by 20% compared to the base protein powder with 0.28% by weight of PA. When the PA content is 7.7% by weight (dry matter basis) of the protein powder, its sweetness is reduced by 60% compared to the base protein powder. The attached phytic acid does not have a noticeable taste.

[0193] The PA content in the protein powder can be controlled by adjusting the removal of PA from this process. If no PA is removed at all, the PA content in the final protein powder will be as high as 40% by weight. By the removal process, the PA content in the final powder can be adjusted to 0.1-40.0% by weight.

[0194] The base protein powder with 0.28% phytic acid by weight is 10 times sweeter than sucrose when compared in a 0.5% solution by weight. When the protein solution contains 4% phytic acid by weight of the protein powder, it is only 2.5 times sweeter than sucrose. Higher levels of phytic acid, up to 8% by weight, further reduce the sweetness as shown herein.

[0195] This unique feature of the interaction between phytic acid and sunflower realbumin protein allows the sweetness of protein to be adjusted to the desired application.For example, an alternative sweetener that can substantially reduce the sucrose level in the product may be desired.This should be the preferred application of the 10 times sweeter protein.In alternative applications, a higher level of protein may be desired, in which case the protein product needs to be less sweet, so that more protein can be included without having an overwhelming sweetness.This should be the preferred application for products that contain phytic acid at levels up to 8% by weight.

[0196] [Table 4]

[0197] Phytic acid is naturally present in dehulled sunflower seeds at 2-3% by weight. Protein is 20-25% by weight in the dehulled seeds and 4.0-6.25% by weight in the soluble protein fraction. After processing to extract and purify the soluble protein, the soluble protein and PA can be in a ratio as high as 4:3 (protein to PA) before the PA is removed from the system.

[0198] PA removal was accomplished by adding calcium chloride to the system in a molar ratio to phytic acid of 6:1 or greater to remove all PA. The PA is precipitated by adjusting the pH to 5.5 or greater. This precipitate can then be removed by a filter or centrifuge. What remains is a combination of proteins and sodium chloride, hydrogen chloride, and any excess calcium chloride. These non-protein compounds can then be removed by utilizing nanofiltration. In some cases, the molar ratio of calcium chloride to phytic acid (e.g., in the permeate) is about 5.6-6.0:1.

[0199] To control the amount of PA in the final powder, the amount of calcium chloride added to the system can be adjusted so that only a certain amount of PA is removed. By measuring the exact amount of phytic acid and protein in the system (which can be done with analytical equipment), the protein and PA content in the final product can be controlled, and therefore the sweetness level of the final product can be controlled.

[0200] Example 15 Protein-enriched chocolate milk Soluble proteins were isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds using the processes disclosed herein.

[0201] The percentages given are by weight of all starting materials. Three different protein-fortified chocolate milk products were formulated, each containing coca (1.5%), calcium carbonate (0.5%), cellulose gel (0.3%), natural and artificial flavors (0.2%), salt (0.15%), carrageenan (0.1%), and cellulose gum (0.1%).

[0202] Protein-enriched chocolate milk formula A also contained 1% cow's milk (92.75%) and soluble protein (4.4%) isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds, which has a sweetness approximately equal to that of sucrose and contains 6% by weight of phytic acid.

[0203] Protein-enriched chocolate milk formula B also contained 1% cow's milk (94.98%) and soluble protein (2.17%) isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds, which have a sweetness approximately twice that of sucrose and contain 4% by weight of phytic acid.

[0204] Protein-enriched chocolate milk formula C also contained 1% cow's milk (96.35%) and soluble protein (0.8%) isolated / extracted from sunflower seeds, which has a sweetness approximately five times that of sucrose and contains 2% by weight of phytic acid.

[0205] It should be understood that this disclosure is in many respects only illustrative. Changes in details, particularly matters relating to shape, size, and arrangement of steps, may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. This may include, within appropriate limits, the use of any of the features of an example embodiment in other embodiments. The scope of the invention is, of course, defined in the language of the appended claims. (Additional Note) The technical ideas that can be understood from the above-described embodiment and modified examples will be described. [Item 1] a first component comprising a sunflower protein extract; and The second ingredient contains phytic acid. A composition comprising: [Item 2] 2. The composition according to item 1, wherein the first component accounts for 91.7 to 99% by weight of the composition. [Item 3] 3. The composition according to item 1 or 2, wherein the second component accounts for 0.28 to 7.7% by weight of the composition. [Item 4] 4. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the second component accounts for 2 to 6% by weight of the composition. [Item 5] 5. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 4, having a sweetness substantially equivalent to that of sucrose. [Item 6] 5. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 4, which has a sweetness sweeter than that of sucrose. [Item 7] 5. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 4, having a sweetness that is 2 to 10 times sweeter than that of sucrose. [Item 8] 5. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 4, having a sweetness 2 to 5 times sweeter than that of sucrose. [Item 9] 1. A method for extracting multiple target materials from oil seeds, comprising: subjecting the oil seed material to an extraction to form an aqueous phase and a solid phase, said extraction being an organic solvent-free extraction; separating insoluble solids from said aqueous phase; filtering the aqueous phase to form a retentate and a permeate component; drying the retention component to form a dry retention component comprising a first target material; filtering the permeate component to form a second retentate component and a second permeate component; drying the second retention component to form a second dry retention component comprising a second target material; filtering the second permeate component to form a third retentate component; and drying the third retention component to form a third dry retention component comprising a third target material; A method comprising: [Item 10] 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first target material comprises a protein. [Item 11] 11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein the second target material comprises a second protein fraction. [Item 12] 12. The method according to any one of items 9 to 11, further comprising adding a precipitating material to the permeated component to form a precipitate. [Item 13] 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the precipitate comprises phytic acid. [Item 14] 14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the precipitating material is calcium chloride. [Item 15] 14. The method according to item 12 or 13, wherein the step of adding a precipitating material to the permeation component to form a precipitate comprises adding calcium chloride in a molar ratio of 5.6 to 6.0:1 to phytic acid in the permeation component. [Item 16] 16. The method according to any one of items 12 to 15, wherein the third target material comprises chlorogenic acid. [Item 17] 1. A method for extracting material from an oil seed, comprising: mixing a quantity of dehulled, cold pressed and crushed oil seeds with an extraction solution having a pH of 3-6 comprising water and salt to form a mixture; extracting the mixture at a temperature ranging from 10 to 93° C. for 0.5 to 6 hours to form an extracted mixture; filtering the extracted mixture into a retained component and a permeated component; and drying the retained component A method comprising: [Item 18] Soluble sunflower protein; One or more of the following: almond milk, coconut, potato starch, and tapioca flour; and Thickened agar solution Plant-based cheese, including: [Item 19] Item 18. A plant-based cheese comprising two or more of almond milk, coconut, potato starch, and tapioca flour. [Item 20] Item 18. A plant-based cheese containing three or more of almond milk, coconut, potato starch, and tapioca flour. [Item 21] Item 18. A plant-based cheese comprising almond milk, coconut, potato starch, and tapioca flour. [Item 22] 22. The plant-based cheese according to any one of items 18 to 21, further comprising one or more of nutritional yeast, xanthan gum, and salt. [Item 23] 23. The plant-based cheese according to item 22, comprising two or more of nutritional yeast, xanthan gum, and salt. [Item 24] 23. The plant-based cheese according to item 22, comprising nutritional yeast, xanthan gum, and salt. [Item 25] Soluble sunflower protein; Insoluble sunflower protein; One or more of the following: pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose; Sunflower oil Including, plant-based ice cream. [Item 26] 26. The plant-based ice cream according to item 25, comprising two or more of pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose. [Item 27] 26. The plant-based ice cream according to item 25, comprising three or more of pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose. [Item 28] 26. The plant-based ice cream according to item 25, comprising four or more of pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose. [Item 29] 26. The plant-based ice cream according to item 25, comprising pea starch, almond milk, coconut water blend, sugar, and allulose. [Item 30] soluble sunflower protein containing 2-6% by weight of phytic acid; Milk; and At least one of the following: coca, calcium carbonate, cellulose gel Protein-enriched chocolate milk, including: [Item 31] 31. Protein-enriched chocolate milk according to item 30, wherein the soluble sunflower protein containing 2 to 6% by weight of phytic acid has a sweetness substantially equivalent to that of sucrose. [Item 32] 32. Protein-enriched chocolate milk according to item 30 or 31, wherein the soluble sunflower protein containing 2 to 6% by weight of phytic acid has a sweetness 2 to 5 times sweeter than sucrose. [Item 33] soluble sunflower protein containing 2-6% by weight of phytic acid; Water, and electrolyte solution Protein-enhanced sports drinks, including: [Item 34] Item 34. The protein-fortified sports drink according to item 33, wherein the soluble sunflower protein containing 2 to 6% by weight of phytic acid has a sweetness substantially equivalent to that of sucrose. [Item 35] Item 35. The protein-fortified sports drink according to item 33 or 34, wherein the soluble sunflower protein containing 2 to 6% by weight of phytic acid has a sweetness 2 to 5 times sweeter than sucrose. [Item 36] 36. The protein-enriched sports drink according to any one of items 33 to 35, which contains no added sugar and no added sugar substitutes. [Item 37] 37. The protein-enhanced sports drink according to any one of items 33 to 36, comprising 0.75 to 1.5 grams of protein per about 28 grams (1 ounce). [Item 38] 38. The protein-enhanced sports drink according to any one of items 33 to 37, comprising substantially 1 gram of protein per about 28 grams (1 ounce).

Claims

1. 1. A method for extracting material from an oil seed, comprising: subjecting the oil seeds to an extraction mixture comprising an aqueous phase and a solid phase, said extraction being carried out at a pH of 3-6 and free of organic solvents; separating insoluble solids from said aqueous phase; filtering said aqueous phase into a retentate and a permeate; and drying the retained component; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retained component has a sweetness greater than that of sucrose.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the retained component has a sweetness that is 2 to 10 times sweeter than the sweetness of sucrose.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the retained component has a sweetness that is 2 to 5 times sweeter than the sweetness of sucrose.

5. 1. A method for extracting material from an oil seed, comprising: mixing a quantity of dehulled, cold pressed and crushed oil seeds with an extraction solution comprising water and salt and having a pH of 5-8 to form a mixture; extracting the mixture at a temperature ranging from 10 to 93° C. for 0.5 to 6 hours to form an extraction mixture having an aqueous phase; separating insoluble solids from said aqueous phase by a separation process; lowering the pH of the aqueous phase to 4.0-4.5 to produce a precipitate; filtering the material having the reduced pH to form a retentate component and a permeate component; drying the retention component to form a dry retention component comprising a first target material; filtering the permeate component to form a second retentate component and a second permeate component; drying the second retention component to form a second dry retention component comprising a second target material; filtering the second permeate component to form a third retentate component; and drying the third retention component to form a third dry retention component comprising a third target material; A method comprising:

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first target material comprises a protein.

7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein the second target material comprises a second protein fraction.

8. The method of any one of claims 5 to 7, further comprising adding a precipitating material to the permeated component to form a second precipitate.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second precipitate comprises phytic acid.

10. 10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the precipitating material is calcium chloride.

11. 11. The method of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein adding a precipitating material to the permeation component to form a precipitate comprises adding calcium chloride in a molar ratio of 5.6 to 6.0:1 to phytic acid in the permeation component.

12. The method of any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein the third target material comprises chlorogenic acid.

13. a first component comprising a sunflower protein extract; and The second ingredient contains phytic acid. A method for producing a composition comprising: Extracting material from the oil seed sunflower seed by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the extraction mixture comprises a first component comprising the sunflower protein extract, The method of producing a composition, wherein the permeation component comprises a second component comprising the phytic acid.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first component comprises 91.7 to 99% by weight of the composition.

15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein the second component comprises 0.28 to 7.7% by weight of the composition.

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