阅读说明：本技术 甜油菜籽蛋白质分离物 (Sweet rapeseed protein isolate ) 是由 马克·亚历山大·范登贝尔赫 史晶 于 2018-12-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及甜油菜籽蛋白质分离物,包含油菜籽蛋白质分离物的组合物、食品和饮料,以及具有增甜效果的油菜籽蛋白质分离物蛋白质的用途。(The present invention relates to a sweet rapeseed protein isolate, compositions, food products and beverages comprising the rapeseed protein isolate, and the use of rapeseed protein isolate protein having a sweetening effect.)

1. A natural rapeseed protein isolate comprising more than 60% by weight canola protein and from 30mg/kg to 3000mg/kg phenolic compounds.

2. The natural rapeseed protein isolate of claim 1 having a sweetness in a 2 weight percent aqueous solution equivalent to at least 10 g/L of an aqueous sucrose solution.

3. The natural rapeseed protein isolate of any of the preceding claims, comprising 80 ± 10% canola protein by weight.

4. The natural rapeseed protein isolate of any of the preceding claims, having a sweetness in a 2 weight percent aqueous solution equivalent to at least 25 g/L of an aqueous sucrose solution.

5. The natural rapeseed protein isolate of any of the preceding claims, wherein the canola protein is a protein having a molecular weight of 10kDa to 15kDa as determined by blue native PAGE.

6. The natural rapeseed protein isolate of any of the preceding claims, wherein the protein content of the natural rapeseed protein isolate is at least 90 wt% (nx6.25) on a dry weight basis.

7. The canola protein isolate of any preceding claim, having a phytate level of less than 0.4 wt%.

8. A method of obtaining a natural rapeseed protein isolate comprising the steps of:

i) mixing the cold-pressed rapeseed oil meal with an aqueous liquid at a temperature of 45 ℃ to 65 ℃;

ii) separating the aqueous liquid from the mixture obtained in step i);

iii) degreasing the aqueous liquid obtained in step ii);

iv) adjusting the pH of the defatted aqueous liquor obtained in step iii) to neutral by adding an acid or base and mixing with a precipitating agent to obtain a precipitate, wherein the precipitating agent comprises a salt of magnesium, zinc, iron or calcium;

v) removing the precipitate obtained in step iv) to obtain an aqueous liquid;

vi) concentrating and washing the aqueous liquid obtained in step v);

vii) filtering the concentrated and washed aqueous liquor obtained in step vi) on a membrane with a cut-off value >50 kDa;

viii) filtering the permeate obtained in step vii) on a membrane with a cut-off value of 5kDa to 50 kDa;

ix) isolating the native rapeseed protein isolate by drying from the concentrated and washed aqueous retentate obtained in step vi),

characterised in that ascorbic acid or a derivative thereof and a sulphite are added before, during or after any of steps i) or ii) or iii) or iv) or v) or vi).

9. The process according to claim 8, wherein in step i) the aqueous liquid is a brine solution comprising 1-5 wt% sodium chloride.

10. Use of a natural rapeseed protein isolate to increase the sweetness of a food product.

11. Use according to claim 10 to increase the protein level of said food product.

12. Use of a natural rapeseed protein isolate to reduce the amount of sugar and/or sucrose in a food product.

13. The use according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the natural rapeseed protein isolate is canola seed protein.

14. A food product comprising rapeseed protein isolate according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

15. The food product of claim 14, which is a beverage, a confectionery product, a bar for a nutraceutical, a chocolate or a milk powder.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sweet rapeseed protein isolate, compositions, food products and beverages comprising the rapeseed protein isolate, and the use of rapeseed protein isolate protein having a sweetening effect.

Background

Sweeteners are the most commonly known ingredients in the food, beverage and confectionery industries. The sweetener may be incorporated into the final food product during manufacture, or may be used alone after appropriate dilution as a tabletop sweetener, or may be a household replacement for sugar in baking. Sweeteners include natural sweeteners such as sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, maple syrup and honey, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose.

Sweetness is determined by the organoleptic properties. For example, some substances establish sweetness faster (i.e., less time to reach maximum sweetness intensity), some substances immediately produce sweetness (i.e., sweetness is immediately perceived), some substances have artificial sweetness, and some substances have a more bitter or sour taste. Artificial sweetness refers to the intensity of flavor associated with known artificial sweeteners. Bitterness was assessed as the taste of caffeine and could be scored as very strong bitterness from perception without bitterness. Sourness is assessed as the taste of citric acid and can be scored as a very strong sourness from a perception of no acidity. These characteristics can be perceived by the consumer and evaluated/quantified using a trained sensory panel.

In view of the health concerns associated with sugar consumption, many studies on sugar substitutes have been carried out, for example using so-called high intensity sweeteners. However, high intensity sweeteners are problematic in that they often do not provide the same organoleptic properties as sugar and may introduce off-flavors.

One class of High intensity Sweeteners is Sweet proteins, examples of which are thaumatin protein (thaumatin), monellin protein (monellin), mabinlin protein (mabinlin), pentatin (pentadin), brazzein protein (brazzein), and curculin protein (curculin), which have very High sweetness potential with sweetness equivalents of 100 to 3000(Faus et al (2005), Sweet-tasting proteins, biomers Online 8,203-210, in: Polyamides and Complex protein sources, wil VCH verag GmbH & Co), which means that in the case of the same weight percentage in solution, these Sweet proteins provide 100 to 3000 times the sweetness of sucrose at an equal weight percentage in solution despite their very large sweetness potential, they have a very large sweetness potential due to their limited sweetness level of sweetness by the Sweet proteins, although they are only of the Sweet taste of the Sweet protein available from western areca, Sweet protein, especially when used in the Sweet taste of the plant origin, such as Sweet protein found in the Sweet taste of the wild arein the wild areca-Sugar, swingle k, swingle-k, Sweet protein found in the Sweet taste of the Sweet protein, swinerein, switzerlmin, swiss, switzerlmin, switzein, switzerlmin, switze.g, switzerlmin, switze, switze.g, which is used in the Sweet protein, which is a very long-3000, and switzerlmin.

Other high intensity sweeteners, such as aspartame or acesulfame, are synthetic and therefore are not welcomed by consumers seeking natural and organic labeling of foods. When applied to foodstuffs such as cereals and energy bars, there are also other high intensity sweeteners (which may be labelled as natural), such as steviol glycosides and mogrosides, which do require the presence of polymers or fillers (such as inulin or sugar alcohols) to fix the textural problems associated with reduced sucrose content in foodstuffs.

There is therefore a need for sweeteners that can be labeled as natural, which have the organoleptic characteristics of sucrose and do not require the addition of bulking agents.

The use of plant based proteins in food products is known, for example WO2008/094434 discloses the use of wheat protein isolate in a composition as an alternative to the use of egg yolk proteins. However, for those allergic to gluten, the use of wheat protein isolates may not be desirable, and soybean-based proteins and egg white-based proteins may also be intolerant. Alternatively, soy protein is widely used. However, in view of certain intolerances to soy products, there is a need to find other sources of plant proteins. Suitable alternatives include pea protein and rapeseed protein. Rapeseed seeds are rich in oil and contain a large amount of protein, 17% to 25% of the dry weight of the seed. Rapeseed meal (also known as cake meal) produced by processing rapeseed for human consumption is a by-product and contains about 30% to 40% protein. The rapeseeds used for this purpose are generally of the Brassica napus (Brassica napus) and Brassica juncea (Brassica juncea) varieties. These varieties contain only small amounts of erucic acid and glucosinolates, also known as Canola oil (Canola). Canola oil is an abbreviation for Canada (Canada) and oil (ola) and is intended as "low oleic oil," but is now a generic term defined as rapeseed oil containing < 2% erucic acid and < 30mmol/g glucosinolate. The resulting rapeseed meal is currently used as a high protein animal feed.

Proteins can be obtained as hydrolysates, native proteins, concentrates and isolates. A hydrolysate is a protein that is partially broken down by exposing the protein to heat, acid, or enzymes that break the bonds connecting the amino acids. This makes the hydrolysates more bitter in taste, but their absorption rate during digestion is also faster compared to the native (non-hydrolysed) proteins. Isolates are purer than concentrates, meaning that other non-protein components have been partially removed to "isolate" the protein. Many concentrates have about 80% protein, which means that 80% of the total weight is protein on a dry basis. Isolates typically contain around 90% protein (dry weight basis). This was calculated using Kjeldahl method. The major storage proteins found in rapeseed are cruciferae proteins (cruciferins) and canola seed proteins (napins).

Cruciferous proteins are globulins, the major storage protein in rapeseed. It consists of 6 subunits and has a total molecular weight of about 300 kDa. Canola seed protein is albumin, a low molecular weight storage protein with a molecular weight of about 14 kDa.

The ability to utilize vegetable-derived proteins in food products enables the provision of a truly vegetarian food product with egg white and/or animal-derived proteins when no substitute is available.

However, it is also known that protein extracts from beans (such as soybeans, peas or lupins) have the typical aroma of legumes, and that the tested subjects are described in sensory taste tests as being turf-like, beans, peas or turquoise-like, and some rapeseed and sunflower extracts often give an impression of bitterness and astringency. US 2011/027433 describes the use of inorganic adsorbent materials added to plant protein extracts which remove unwanted accompanying substances, especially flavour, fragrance and/or colour components. WO 2007/039253 describes hydrolyzed plant proteins obtainable by hydrolyzing a mixture comprising sunflower protein and at least one other plant protein, preferably corn protein, which mixture has improved flavour and/or aroma properties. WO 2004/006693 describes a food product comprising as a protein supplement the seeds of an oleaginous plant, the oil content of the seeds of which has been reduced. The seeds are heat-treated turnip rapeseed or rapeseed meal, and the digestibility of proteins and/or aromas is improved due to the heat treatment. US 2004/005395 discloses fractionated rapeseed protein isolate and its use as a flavour enhancer in food products, wherein some sweet tastes become sweeter and some salty tastes become more salty.

In summary, in many protein-rich food products, there is still a need for additional sugars to mask off-flavors of the proteins, and there is still a need to provide protein-rich compositions (e.g., beverages) with reduced sugar content, yet having good flavor balance and nutritional content.

Traditionally, for materials with higher oil content (dry matter > 35%, rapeseed about 40%), a combination of mechanical pressing and solvent extraction was used for efficient extraction of oil (Rosenthal et al, Enzyme and microbiological Technology19(1996)402-420), after extraction of oil, the pressed material was heat treated to remove the solvent, resulting in an oil content and a protein content of 1% to 5% and 40% to 50% of the dry matter, respectively, of the meal despite the relatively high protein content in the meal, but the quality of the protein was significantly reduced due to the harsh conditions (i.e. high temperature, solvent) employed during the oil extraction process, these oil extraction conditions are one of the factors contributing to the improvement of cold pressing techniques, during cold pressing, no solvent (e.g. hexane) was used and the oil was pressed under mild conditions, thus obtaining higher quality oil and higher quality oil seeds, such oil seeds were relatively high in oil content (usually > protein retention in tranthal et al) and the extraction of these oil seeds was easily achieved by the extraction process of the extraction of the protein from the rapeseed plant technologies 402-12, which left the oil extraction process as a relatively high protein content in the oil extraction process (1987-rich protein extraction process, 120. 12, which resulted in the extraction of the oil extraction process, which was very easily obtained by the extraction of rapeseed oil extraction process, which was found to be very difficult to be obtained by the extraction of oil-oil extraction process (Rosenthal).

We have found that in the process of the invention, based on cold pressed rapeseed meal, a rapeseed protein isolate is obtained which has a high content of canola protein and a low content of anti-nutritional phenolic compounds and which at the same time exhibits an unprecedented high solubility. It has been found that the rapeseed protein isolate of the present invention is inherently sweet and can therefore be effectively used to reduce the amount of sucrose in food products and at the same time increase the protein level and therefore the nutritional value of the food product.

Drawings

Fig. 1 depicts the color of solutions obtained by incubating rapeseed protein extracts prepared with different concentrations of L-ascorbic acid and/or sodium metabisulfite in the extract at 56 ℃ at different time intervals X-axis: incubation time in hours Y-axis: 100-L values it is noted that after measurement at t 3 hours the experiment was temporarily stopped and the sample was kept at-20 ℃ for a longer period of time (10 weeks), after which the measurement was continued by continuing the incubation at 56 ℃ for the time indicated in the figure, i.e. the time span over which the sample was frozen was omitted from the figure, symbol ○ -control, ◇ -L-ascorbic acid (0.5g/kg), □ -sodium metabisulfite (0.1g/kg), ● -L-ascorbic acid (0.25g/kg) + sodium metabisulfite (0.05g/kg), ■ -ascorbic acid (0.25g/kg) + sodium metabisulfite (0.5g/kg) + 0.5 g/kg).

Detailed Description

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a natural rapeseed protein isolate comprising more than 60% by weight canola protein and from 30mg/kg to 3000mg/kg phenolic compounds.

In the context of the present invention, phenolic compounds (phenolics) are compounds having a phenolic moiety. Examples of phenolic compounds which are typically present in rapeseed prior to exposure to the method of the second aspect of the present invention are hydroxycinnamic acids (examples of hydroxycinnamic acids are meta-, ortho-, para-, ferulic and sinapic acids), but also compounds derived therefrom, such as 4-vinyleugenol and the like. The term "phenolic compound" also includes compounds known in the art as polyphenols. Tyrosine and tyrosine containing polypeptides and proteins are excluded from the above definition of phenolic compounds.

In one embodiment, the canola protein isolate of the present invention has 250mg/kg to 2500mg/kg phenolic compounds. In another embodiment, the canola protein isolate of the present invention has from 500mg/kg to 2000mg/kg phenolic compounds. In another embodiment, the canola protein isolate of the present invention has 1600mg/kg to 1900mg/kg phenolic compounds.

In one embodiment, the canola protein isolate of the present invention has a sweetness in a 2 wt.% aqueous solution equivalent to at least 10 g/L of an aqueous sucrose solution.

In one embodiment, the Native rapeseed protein isolate of the present invention comprises canola protein, which is a protein having a molecular weight of 10kDa to 15kDa as determined by Blue Native PAG (Blue Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis). In one embodiment, the natural rapeseed protein isolate is canola protein, a 1.7-2S albumin. The term canola seed protein includes several isoforms, canola seed protein-1, canola seed protein-2, canola seed protein-3, canola seed protein-1A, canola seed protein-B and Nap1, respectively, having molecular weights in the range of 12.5 to 14.5 kDa. Mature canola seed protein comprises a small (short, about 4kDa) polypeptide chain and a large (long, about 9kDa) polypeptide chain linked together by two interchain disulfide bonds, with the large chain having two intrachain disulfide bonds (Shewry et al, Plant cell.7(1995) 945-956).

In another embodiment, the natural rapeseed protein isolate comprises 60 to 100 wt% canola seed protein, preferably 70 to 97 wt% canola seed protein, more preferably 80 to 95 wt% canola seed protein, for example 80 ± 10 wt% canola seed protein or 85 ± 10 wt% canola seed protein.

In another embodiment, the canola protein isolate has a sweetness in a 2 wt.% aqueous solution equivalent to that of an aqueous sucrose solution of at least 20 g/L, preferably 25 to 125 g/L, more preferably 30 to 100 g/L.

In one embodiment, the sweetness equivalent factor of the natural rapeseed protein isolate of the present invention is at least 0.5, meaning that the sweetness is equivalent to at least 10 g/L of an aqueous sucrose solution when added to a 2 wt.% aqueous solution, preferably, the sweetness equivalent of the natural rapeseed protein isolate is at least 15 g/L of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 0.75), more preferably at least 25 g/L of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 1.25), or at least 30 g/L of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 1.5), at least 35 g/L of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 1.75), at least 40 g/L of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 2.0), at least 45 g/L of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 2.25), at least 50 g/L of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 2.5), or even about 100 g/L of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 100.5), or even about 100 g/355 of sucrose (meaning that the sweetness equivalent factor is at least 1.5), or at least about 30 g/365, such an amount of sucrose equivalent to the sweetness equivalent factor on the market.

The sweetness equivalent factor (e.g., 1%, 2%, or 3%) for an aqueous solution comprising a predetermined weight percentage of the natural rapeseed protein isolate of the present invention is determined by evaluating sweetness by a trained sensory panel member and comparing it to a fixed reference sucrose solution and determining the actual sucrose solution/concentration that provides a similar sweetness.

In another embodiment, the canola protein isolate of the present invention has a solubility of at least 88%, preferably at least 90%, more preferably at least 94%, most preferably at least 96% at a temperature of 23 ± 2 ℃ and a pH of 3 to 10. This is also known as the Soluble Solids Index (SSI).

Preferably, the conductivity of the canola protein isolate in a 2 wt% aqueous solution is less than 9000 μ S/cm. at a pH in the range of 2 to 12, more preferably, the conductivity of the canola protein isolate in a 2 wt% aqueous solution is less than 4000 μ S/cm. at a pH in the range of 2.5 to 11.5, for comparison, the conductivity of a 5 g/L aqueous sodium chloride solution is about 9400 μ S/cm.

In another embodiment, the native rapeseed protein isolate has a phytate level of less than 0.4 wt.%, preferably less than 0.25 wt.%, more preferably less than 0.15 wt.%.

In yet another embodiment, the protein content of the canola protein isolate is at least 90 wt% (calculated as kjeldahl nitrogen × 6.25.25), more preferably at least 94 wt%, most preferably at least 96 wt%, especially at least 98 wt% on a dry weight basis.

Preferably, the canola protein isolate is substantially unhydrolyzed. By substantially unhydrolyzed is meant that the protein is not intentionally hydrolyzed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a composition is provided comprising at least 0.1 wt%, more preferably at least 0.5 wt%, most preferably at least 1 wt% of rapeseed isolate according to the present invention, said composition having a sweetness score that is statistically significantly increased relative to a composition comprising 0 wt% of rapeseed isolate of the present invention.

In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for obtaining a natural rapeseed protein isolate according to the first aspect of the invention, the process comprising the steps of:

i) mixing cold pressed rapeseed oil meal with an aqueous liquid at a temperature of 45 ℃ to 65 ℃;

ii) separating the aqueous liquid from the mixture obtained in step i);

iii) degreasing (decreaming) the aqueous liquid obtained in step ii);

iv) adjusting the pH of the defatted aqueous liquor obtained in step iii) to neutral by adding an acid or base and mixing with a precipitating agent to obtain a precipitate, wherein the precipitating agent comprises a salt of magnesium, zinc, iron or calcium;

v) removing the precipitate obtained in step iv) to obtain an aqueous liquid;

vi) concentrating and washing the aqueous liquid obtained in step v);

vii) filtering the concentrated and washed aqueous liquor obtained in step vi) on a membrane with a cut-off value >50 kDa;

viii) filtering the permeate obtained in step vii) on a membrane with a cut-off value of 5kDa to 50 kDa;

ix) isolating the native rapeseed protein isolate by drying from the concentrated and washed aqueous retentate obtained in step vi),

wherein ascorbic acid or a derivative thereof and a sulphite are added before, during or after any of steps i) or ii) or iii) or iv) or v) or vi).

As noted above, rapeseed protein isolate is produced from cold-pressed rapeseed press meal (a by-product of rapeseed oil production).

The process starts with an extraction step i) in which the rapeseed meal is mixed with an aqueous salt solution (e.g. 0 to 5% sodium chloride) at a temperature of 4 ℃ to 75 ℃, more preferably 20 ℃ to 75 ℃ and most preferably 45 ℃ to 65 ℃. Preferably, the mixing is carried out in step i) such that the ratio between the cold pressed rapeseed oil meal and the aqueous liquid is from 1:2 to 1:30 (mass ratio). The ratio of meal to water is preferably in the range of 1:5 to 1:40, more preferably in the range of 1:5 to 1: 20.

After a period of time of 5min to 2 hours, the protein-rich solution is separated from the insoluble material in a separation step ii). The protein-rich solution is hereinafter referred to as extract.

Preferably, the pH of the extract is adjusted to neutral and the extract is further processed to purify (clarify) the material and remove non-protein material. In the defatting step iii), the remaining fat and the formed precipitate are removed by a solid/liquid separation step (e.g. filtration or centrifugation). Preferably, the degreasing in step iii) is performed by centrifugation.

The extract is then separated, concentrated and washed in an ultrafiltration/diafiltration (UF/DF) step vi). The purpose of the UF/DF step is to enrich the relative percentage of canola protein present in the rapeseed protein isolate, thereby concentrating the protein and removing anti-nutritional factors (e.g., phenolic compounds, polyphenolic compounds, residual phytate, glucosinolates). The concentration and washing in step vi) are preferably carried out by ultrafiltration and diafiltration.

In step vii), the solution obtained is filtered on a membrane with a cut-off of >50 kDa. The retentate thus obtained is rich in high molecular weight proteins, such as cruciferae proteins (in the examples referred to as fraction I), and the permeate is rich in low molecular weight proteins, such as canola seed proteins.

In step viii), the permeate obtained in step vii) is filtered on a membrane having a cut-off value of 5 to 50 kDa. The retentate thus obtained is rich in low molecular weight proteins, such as canola seed protein. The choice of membrane will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Optionally, in step vii) and step viii) the retentate may be washed with water or an aqueous solution before further processing.

Finally, in step ix), the washed concentrate can be dried in a suitable dryer, such as a spray dryer (single or multi-stage) with an inlet temperature of 150 ℃ to 200 ℃ and an outlet temperature of 50 ℃ to 100 ℃, to obtain rapeseed protein isolate.

Ascorbic acid or a derivative thereof and sulfite are present in the process or in part of the process. Thus, ascorbic acid or a derivative thereof and a sulphite are added before, during or after any of steps i) or ii) or iii) or iv) or v) or vi).

In one embodiment, the ascorbic acid or derivative thereof is L-ascorbic acid or L-calcium ascorbate or L-potassium ascorbate or L-sodium ascorbate in another embodiment, the sulfite is an ammonium or metal salt of sulfite, bisulfite or metabisulfite.

The amount of ascorbic acid or a derivative thereof can vary within wide limits. Suitable examples are those wherein the amount of ascorbic acid is from 0.05 to 5g/kg, or from 0.25 to 1g/kg, relative to the mixture of cold pressed rapeseed oil meal and aqueous liquid. The amount of sulfite is from 0.01g/kg to 0.5g/kg, or from 0.05g/kg to 0.1g/kg, relative to the mixture of cold pressed rapeseed oil meal and aqueous liquor. Alternatively, the amounts of ascorbic acid and sulfite are expressed in percentages relative to the total weight of the composition. Thus, for ascorbic acid this may be in the range of 0.005% to 0.5% (w/w), or 0.025% to 0.1% (w/w), and for sulphite this may be in the range of 0.001% to 0.05% (w/w), or 0.005% to 0.01% (w/w).

In another aspect, the application of ascorbic acid results in less initial removal of color, but the less initial removal of color is more stable over time and ultimately results in significantly lower color values.

It was found that the level of phenolic compounds in the final rapeseed protein isolate was significantly reduced compared to those present in the starting material. Since phenolic compounds are anti-nutritional ingredients, this represents a valuable advantage associated with the present invention. The level of phenolic compounds in the feedstock (i.e. the cold-pressed rapeseed meal) is from 10000mg/kg to 20000mg/kg, for example from 17000mg/kg to 17600 mg/kg. Treatment of such cold pressed rapeseed meal with sulphite in the absence of ascorbic acid or derivatives thereof reduces the phenolic compound content to 3500mg/kg to 10000mg/kg, for example to 3500mg/kg to 7400 mg/kg. However, the use of ascorbic acid or a derivative thereof and sulphite according to the process of the invention results in phenolic compounds still at low levels, below 3500mg/kg as described above in relation to the first aspect.

In another embodiment, the method steps i) -vi) are performed in less than 4 hours, preferably in 30 minutes to 3.5 hours, under conditions where the color of the extract (expressed as 100-L) and thus the color of the final product is much lower than the untreated extract, and also lower than the extract treated with ascorbic acid or sulfite alone.

The method of the first aspect has the advantage that no significant reduction in the proteins of interest (particularly cruciferous proteins and canola seed proteins) is observed. This is particularly surprising for canola seed proteins known to be susceptible to degradation. Under the above conditions, the canola seed protein concentration was maintained at greater than 95% of the initial canola seed protein concentration of the control.

Another advantage of the process of the first aspect is that the untreated clear solution of rapeseed protein isolate obtained in the process tends to form a dark precipitate over time, whereas the sample obtained during the process of the invention does not undergo such precipitation.

The process of the invention is characterized in that it is very suitable for large-scale applications. Thus, in one embodiment, the process is carried out on a scale of at least 500kg, preferably from 500kg to 10000kg or from 1000kg to 5000 kg.

Preferably, the canola protein isolate is obtained in a process in which the level of canola protein is higher than the level of cruciferous protein (i.e., native canola protein isolate comprises 60 to 100 wt% canola protein).

It has been found that soluble canola protein isolate obtained from cold-pressed oil seed meal and extracted under mild conditions comprising from 60 wt% to 100 wt% canola protein has a surprisingly sweet taste as described in the second aspect of the invention. Preferably, the natural rapeseed protein isolate comprises 60% to 100% by weight canola seed protein. The natural rapeseed protein isolate disclosed herein has a sweetness (even 2-3 times higher under certain conditions) that of other protein isolates (pea, rice, soy and whey).

In a third aspect of the invention, there is provided the use of a natural rapeseed protein isolate to increase the sweetness of a food product.

In one embodiment, the canola protein isolate is used to increase the sweetness and protein level of the food product.

In another embodiment, the natural rapeseed protein isolate used to increase the sweetness or sweetness and protein level of the food product is applied as part of the rapeseed protein isolate according to the first aspect of the invention.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides the use of a natural rapeseed protein isolate to reduce the amount of (added) sugar and/or (added) sucrose in a food product.

In one embodiment, the natural rapeseed protein isolate is canola seed protein.

Thus, the canola protein isolate of the present invention may be used in foods and dietary supplements such as ice cream, milk powder, beverages, chocolate, fruit juices, yoghurt, dairy products, bakery products, cereals, health bars (health bars), confectionery products and emulsions such as mayonnaise and salad dressings. The food product may also contain other ingredients such as food starches, sweeteners, flavors, seasonings (including salts), food pieces (food pieces), stabilizers, antioxidants, sterols, soluble fibers, gums, flavors (flavors), preservatives, colorants and any combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the present food and dietary supplement sweetened by the natural rapeseed protein isolate of the present invention has a sweetness equal to that of sucrose added in an amount greater than 0.5 wt.%, greater than 1 wt.%, greater than 2 wt.%, greater than 3 wt.%, greater than 4 wt.% or greater than 5 wt.%, such as from 0.5 wt.% to 15 wt.%, or from 5 to 10 wt.%, or from 10 wt.% to 15 wt.% of the similarly sweetened food and dietary supplement.

In one embodiment, one or more additional sweeteners may be included in the present food products and dietary supplements, such as sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, galactose, steviol glycosides (e.g., rebaudioside M, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside a, or stevia extract), mogroside or luo han guo extract, thaumatin, brazzein, mabinlin, monellin, monatin, pentatin, miraculin, curculin, neodulcin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), phyllodulcin (phylloduin), glycyrrhizic acid and salts thereof, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, elitan (alitame), aspartame, cyclamate, erythritol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, lactitol, xylitol, inositol, threitol, arabitol, isomalt, rebaudioside M, and/or stevia extracts, Propylene glycol, glycerol, galactitol, hydrogenated isomalt, reduced isomalt-oligosaccharides, reduced xylo-oligosaccharides (reduced xylo-oligosaccharides), reduced gentio-oligosaccharides (reduced genio-oligosaccharides), reduced maltose syrup, reduced glucose syrup, neotame, saccharin, tagatose, kojibiose, allose, psicose, palatinose, mannose, sorbose, inulin, or fructooligosaccharides.

In another embodiment, the amount of sucrose added can be reduced in the food and dietary supplement of the present invention sweetened by the canola protein isolate of the present invention while maintaining the desired organoleptic properties of the food and dietary supplement in an amount of from 0.5% to at least 10% by weight, such as from 1% to 5% by weight.

In yet another embodiment, the sweetening achieved by the addition of the canola protein isolate of the present invention results in a reduction in the total amount of added sugar of at least 25%, preferably at least 40%, more preferably at least 50%, more preferably at least 75%, even more preferably 100%, while maintaining the desired organoleptic properties of the food products and dietary supplements. The present food products and dietary supplements sweetened by canola protein isolate of the present invention comprise less than 10 wt% total added sucrose, more preferably less than 8 wt%, more preferably less than 5 wt% (wt), even more preferably less than 2 wt% (wt), and most preferably 0-1 wt%.

In one embodiment, for certain food applications, it is desirable to increase protein content while maintaining flavor. For example, in US4,493,853, a chocolate product is described which has an increased protein content by the addition of processed cheese. Although this method has several disadvantages, such as the use of relatively large amounts of expensive processed cheese, there is clearly a need to increase the protein content of chocolate. Similarly, plant-based protein bars are becoming increasingly popular today, and several protein bars are available with a plant-based protein content of about 20%. Such protein bars are made from ingredients such as nuts, nut butter, pumpkin seeds, sweet peas, and rice, and are optionally dipped and enrobed with chocolate. These protein bars are intended to provide sustained energy and satiety as a sustained healthy protein snack.

The natural rapeseed protein isolate of the present invention can be used as a protein additive in food products (e.g., protein bars, chocolate, etc.).

In one embodiment, the present food products and dietary supplements sweetened by the natural rapeseed protein isolate of the present invention may comprise from 0.01% to 10% by weight, preferably from 0.1% to 5% by weight, more preferably from 0.5% to 4% by weight, for example 1%, 2% or 3% by weight of the natural rapeseed protein isolate of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the present food products and dietary supplements sweetened by the canola protein isolate of the present invention may comprise from 0.01% to 10%, preferably from 0.1% to 5%, more preferably from 0.5% to 4%, for example 1%, 2% or 3% by weight canola protein.

In a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a food product comprising rapeseed protein isolate according to the invention. Suitable examples are protein bars and/or chocolate, beverages or milk-based powders (e.g. for use in coffee machines).

Non-limiting examples of the invention are described below.