Patent ID: 7704534

Claim:
A process of preparing a canola protein isolate, which comprises: (a) continuously extracting a canola oil seed meal to cause solubilization of canola protein in said canola oil seed meal and to form an aqueous canola protein solution having a pH of about 5 to about 6.8, said continuous extraction step being effected by: (i) continuously mixing the canola oil seed meal with an aqueous salt solution having an ionic strength of at least about 0.10 and a pH of about 5 to about 6.8 at a temperature of above about 35° C. to about 65° C., and (ii) continuously conveying said mixture through a pipe while extracting protein from the canola oil seed meal to form an aqueous canola protein solution having a protein content of about 5 to about 40 g/L in a period of time up to about 10 minutes, (b) continuously separating said aqueous canola protein solution from residual oil seed meal, (c) continuously conveying said aqueous canola protein solution through a selective membrane operation to increase the protein concentration of said aqueous canola protein solution to at least about 200 g/L while maintaining the ionic strength substantially constant to provide a concentrated canola protein solution, (d) continuously mixing said concentrated canola protein solution with chilled water having a temperature of below about 15° C. to cause the formation of canola protein micelles in the aqueous phase, (e) continuously flowing the resulting mixture into a settling vessel while permitting supernatant to overflow the vessel, (f) continuously permitting said canola protein micelles to settle in the settling vessel while continuing to overflow supernatant from the vessel until a desired amount of amorphous, sticky, gelatinous, gluten-like canola protein micellar mass has accumulated in said settling vessel, and (g) recovering said canals protein micellar mass from the settling vessel, said canola protein micellar mass having a protein content, on a dry weight basis, of at least about 100 wt % as determined by Kjeldahl nitrogen x 6.25, wherein said supernatant is processed, on a batch, semi-continuous or continuous basis, to recover additional quantities of canola protein isolate therefrom.