Nachhaltiger Proteingewinnungsprozess - Developement of a sustainable process for the extraction of plant proteins from sunflower oil press cake and exploration of possible applications in the life science sector

Manufacturing of sunflower oil provides a remaining oil press cake which exhibits a high content of proteins. Currently, the oil press cake is mainly used as animal feed. However, its composition makes it very interesting for further processing and reuse as an ingredient in food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic products.
The aim of the project is to develop a sustainable process consisting of solid state fermentation with subsequent membrane separation technology. By means of solid state fermentation the function of the proteins should be improved. The membrane separation technique is applied in order to concentrate the proteins. The obtained protein isolate should be used for the development of new high-quality food and natural cosmetic products.