Pilot Plant Recovery of Soybean Oleosome Fractions by an Enzyme‐Assisted Aqueous Process

Abstract An aqueous enzymatic procedure for oleosome fractionation from 25 g of soy flour was developed in our laboratory. This fractionation procedure was evaluated with 75 kg using pilot plant equipment to evaluate the effect of the scale‐up on the recovery, proximate composition, soybean storage protein profiles, and subcellular microstructure of oleosome fractions. The process included enzymatic hydrolysis, grinding, and centrifugation, respectively. Pilot‐scale grinding and centrifugation of the slurry were accomplished with a Stephan ® Microcut mill grinder and a three phase decanter. A blender and swinging bucket rotor were used for the laboratory‐scale fractionation. The oleosome fractions recovered in the pilot plant were similar in oil and protein content to those obtained in the laboratory. The pilot‐scale process resulted in a significantly higher oil yield of 93.40% as total oleosomes compared to that of 76.83% achieved in the laboratory. Urea–SDS gel electrophoresis of proteins extracted from the oleosomes and supernatant from the pilot‐scale fractionation had similar profiles to those obtained in the laboratory. Electron microscopy verified that the structure of isolated oleosomes was virtually identical with that of in situ oleosomes. This work confirms that large‐scale fractionation of oleosomes from full fat soybean flour can be accomplished.