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Extraction of proteins and residual oil from flax (Linum usitatissimum), camelina (Camelina sativa), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) oilseed press cakes

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Abstract

The oilseed pressing process for the production of vegetable oils creates large amounts of cakes as by-products that contain high-added-value substances such as proteins and lipids. This work targets the chemical characterization of flax cake (FC), camelina cake (CC), and sunflower cake (SC) in order to evaluate the composition of proteins and residual oil, which are two of the main components, and to assess further technological applications of these biowastes. The use of a deep eutectic solvent (DES) was developed for protein extraction as a green alternative to conventional organic solvents. The lipid component, on the contrary, was extracted with n-hexane, which is typically used in oil industries. Several analytical techniques were used to characterize the cakes and the extracts (thermogravimetric analysis, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis; HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS). In general, proteins were extracted with DES and precipitated with water, obtaining a higher yield for FC and CC. An improvement in extraction was obtained by increasing the temperature of the treatment. Different acyl glycerides profiles were identified in the residual oils obtained by solvent extraction from the cakes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. Andrea Morelli and Prof. Federica Chiellini of the BIOLab research group of the University of Pisa for their support in the thermogravimetric characterization of the samples.

Funding

This study was financially supported by research funding from the University of Pisa, Italy (Fondi di Ateneo), and by the Studio di Consulenza Scientifica (SCSOP), Sirtori (LC), Italy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Via G. Moruzzi 13, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Elisabetta Parodi, Jacopo La Nasa, Erika Ribechini & Antonella Petri

  2. Studio di Consulenza Scientifica (SCSOP), Via Bornò 5, 23896, Sirtori, LC, Italy

    Oreste Piccolo

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Conceptualization, O.P, A.P.; HPLC methodology, J.L.N., E.R.; other methodologies, E.P., A.P.; investigation, E.P., J.L.N. (HPLC); writing—original draft preparation, E.P. , J.L.N. (HPLC); writing—review and editing, A.P., O. P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Antonella Petri or Oreste Piccolo.

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Parodi, E., La Nasa, J., Ribechini, E. et al. Extraction of proteins and residual oil from flax (Linum usitatissimum), camelina (Camelina sativa), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) oilseed press cakes. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 13, 1915–1926 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-01379-z

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