Technology Developed for Rapeseed Protein Extraction

Polish start-up NapiFeryn Biotech has developed technology that isolates and purifies rapeseed protein for food formulation, according to FoodNavigator report on October 18.  The start-up claims the rapeseed protein, which it has named ‘Raptein’, could challenge soy’s dominance in the plant-based space for a variety of reasons.  

The company claims that rapeseed contains higher levels of certain amino acids than soy and is devoid of phytoestrogens, or isoflavones as they are known in soy, which have a weak estrogen-like action.  These active substances are suspected of disrupting females’ hormone systems. Rapeseed, or canola as it is known in the US and Canada, contains approximately 20% high-quality protein. 

NapiFeryn’s technology extracts, purifies, and isolates functional proteins derived from oilseeds for use in food formulation.  The start-up’s technology can be applied once oil producers complete a cold, virgin press.  The purification process is also integral to NapiFeryn’s technology, given rapeseeds’s intense, bitter taste.  It is this unpalatable element of rapeseed that has previously deterred industry from employing the rapeseed cake by-product in foods for human consumption.  The company is presently in the pre-commercialisation phase, delivering sample quantities to the food industry from pilot facility.  Commercial quantities will be available in 2022.