High quality protein from rape meal - Puratein - Brief Article

Eurofood, Feb 1, 2001

An isolate in the form of a bland, odourless powder containing at least 90% protein and having many functional properties similar to egg whites has been derived from oilseed rape meal by a Canadian company, Burcon NutraScience Corporation. The product, Puratein[TM], has a protein PER of 3.29 compared with 3.71 for egg whites and 1.60 for soya concentrate, and contains less than 0.1% fat content by weight. It is said to be highly digestible. The technology is protected by two US patents granted in December 1998 and Burcon has filed patent applications in Europe, Australia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Canada, India and Poland. The company claims that Puratein's potential applications include its use as a protein supplement in drinks and powders, as an egg white replacement in baked goods and fortified beverages, as a dairy/soya replacement and as a general replacement for animal-based proteins. Burcon is pursuing approvals from both Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration to

market and sell Puratein for human consumption.