Optimization of the Aqueous Enzymatic Extraction of Rapeseed Oil and Protein Hydrolysates

An aqueous enzymatic extraction method was developed to obtain free oil and protein hydrolysates from dehulled rapeseeds. The rapeseed slurry was treated by the chosen combination of pectinase, cellulase, and β-glucanase (4:1:1, v/v/v) at concentration of 2.5% (v/w) for 4 h. This was followed by sequential treatments consisting of alkaline extraction and an alkaline protease (Alcalase 2.4L) hydrolysis to both produce a protein hydrolysate product and demulsify the oil. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to study and optimize the effects of the pH of the alkaline extraction (9.0, 10.0 and 11.0), the concentration of the Alcalase 2.4L (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%, v/w), and the duration of the hydrolysis (60, 120, and 180 min). Increasing the concentration of Alcalase 2.4L and the duration of the hydrolysis time significantly increased the yields of free oil and protein hydrolysates and the degree of protein hydrolysis (DH), while the alkaline extraction pH had a significant effect only on the yield of the protein hydrolysates. Following an alkaline extraction at pH 10 for 30 min, we defined a practical optimum protocol consisting of a concentration of 1.25–1.5% Alcalase 2.4L and a hydrolysis time between 150 and 180 min. Under these conditions, the yields of free oil and protein hydrolysates were 73–76% and 80–83%, respectively. The hydrolysates consisted of approximately 96% of peptides with a MW less than 1500, of which about 81% had a MW less than 600 Da.