Nutritional science for mind health products
DSM Nutritional Products
Burcon NutraScience Corporation of Canada has claimed a significant improvement in the quality of its two protein products Supertein and Puratein after implementing a number of changes to the production process.
The quality shortcomings were highlighted in tests conducted in September and October of 2001, but new independent analyses of the products show that the levels of phytates (so-called anti-nutrients) in Supertein and Puratein are now virtually undetectable following the introduction of the new processes.
Burcon said it had also made significant improvements in the reduction of colour in Burcon's proteins.
Burcon extracts protein from canola meal to use as a functional and nutritional ingredient, and the new technology used by the company will now allow it not only to yield the two dominant protein fractions found in canola meal, but also enable the isolation and purification of the phytates present in the starting canola meal.
Phytates can be valuable products on their own, but act as anti-nutrients in the canola protein extracts if they are not removed, the company said.
"We have addressed the colour and phytate issues and resolved them," said Radka Milanova, Burcon's senior vice president of research and development. "Our new process adds value as we are now able to isolate the phytates and actually purify and fractionate those same phytates creating a new potentially valuable by-product."
Milanova said that Burcon's research and development team in Winnipeg would continue to strive for further colour and flavour improvements.