ARS | Publication request: USE OF HIGH PRESSURE AND SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE FOR PROTEIN PRODUCTION, PROCESSING AND MODIFICATION

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 5, 2005
Publication Date: April 30, 2006
Citation: Tomasula, P.M., Van Hekken, D.L. 2006. Use of high pressure and supercritical carbon dioxide for protein production, processing and modification. 97th Annual American Oil Chemists' Society National Meeting. Book of Abstracts. P7.

Technical Abstract: The food and chemical processing industries are seeking ways to include green chemistry methods in their processes to minimize generation of waste streams that require additional processing before disposal or reuse. The use of high pressure or supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) in precipitation processes or chemical reactions is an environmentally friendly solution that replaces the need for acidic aqueous solutions or many of the organic solvents that are used in precipitation processes or chemical reactions. In our laboratory, we have demonstrated the use of high pressure and supercritical CO2 to remove targeted dairy, soy and corn proteins from solution by precipitation; in a process that facilitates the fractionation of the whey proteins into their component proteins; as a means to prepare edible films from dairy proteins with improved humidity resistance and oxygen permeability properties; as an aid to accelerate the cheese making process without destroying the viability of cheese starter cultures in the cheesemilk; and, more recently as media for modifying the structure and functionality of dairy proteins by chemical reaction. Equipment was also designed that allows continuous processing with pressurized CO2 streams. Each of these developments will be discussed as well as the challenges that remain for further utilization of this technology.