Project Manager : Asst. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Gülseren
Faculty/Department : Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences / Department of Food Engineering
Project Duration : 20 Months
Total Project Budget : 197,400.00 TL
Coordinating/Partner Institution : TUBITAK/3501 - Career Development Program
Project Start Date : Oct 15, 2015, 00:00
Modern vegetable oil production is generally carried out using organic solvent extraction technology. The use of organic solvents has certain negative effects, such as the loss of nutritional components and the generation of chemical waste. Oil production by the cold-press method is generally carried out below 50°C, and this process can overcome the negative effects of organic solvent extraction. However, the processing cost of cold-pressed oils — and thus product prices — is relatively high, while processing capacities are relatively low. To reduce costs in this area, it is necessary to convert the pomace remaining from the cold-press process into value-added products as well. One of the main components found in de-oiled plant pomace is protein. Proteins are valuable food components with both technological and biological functions. The continuously increasing global demand for protein highlights the necessity of utilizing plant-based proteins in addition to animal-based proteins. In this context, benefits such as adding value to our national agricultural products and reducing our external dependency in the field of food components (particularly proteins) can be achieved through protein products (protein concentrates and isolates) to be produced from the pomace generated in vegetable oil production. Accordingly, this project aims to utilize the plant pomace, a by-product of a cold-press oil producer operating in our country, for the production of protein. Detailed studies are being carried out, in particular, on the food applications of these proteins.