PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING PROTEIN FROM AND PRODUCING HIGH PROTEIN CONTENT PALM KERNEL CAKE

THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE RELATES GENERALLY TO A PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING PROTEIN FROM PALM KERNEL CAKE (PKC) AND PRODUCING HIGH PROTEIN CONTENT PKC COMPRISING: (I) MIXING PKC WITH AN EFFECTIVE AMOUNT OF ONE OR MORE HEMICELLULOSE DEGRADING ENZYMES SUCH AS MANNANSE AND PECTINASE IN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION IN A RATIO OF PKC TO SOLUTION (W/V) FROM ABOUT 1:2 TO ABOUT 1:5 TO OBTAIN A PKC HYDROLYSATE AND HYDROLYSED PKC; (II) SEPARATING THE PKC HYDROLYSATE FROM THE HYDROLYSED PKC VIA DECANTATION, FILTRATION OR CENTRIFUGATION; (III) PRECIPITATING PROTEIN FROM SAID HYDROLYSATE BY THE ADDITION OF AN ANTICHAOTROPIC SALT IN AN AMOUNT IN THE RANGE OF 10-90W/V% SELECTED FROM AMMONIUM SULPHATE, SODIUM SULPHATE AND SODIUM CHLORIDE; AND (IV) DRYING THE HYDROLYSED PKC, WHEREIN THE PKC IS EXPELLER PRESSED PKC OR SOLVENT EXTRACTED PKC; WHEREIN THE HYDROLYSIS STEP IS PERFORMED AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 20-80°C, AT A PH IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 3-8 AND FOR A PERIOD OF TIME IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 12-168 HOURS; WHEREIN THE SEPARATED PKC HYDROLYSATE IS SUBJECTED TO A CLARIFICATION STEP TO AFFORD AN-AQUEOUS PHASE AND AN OIL-CONTAINING PHASE AND THE AQUEOUS PHASE IS SUBJECTED TO CROSSFLOW FILTRATION TO AFFORD A PROTEIN CONCENTRATE; WHEREIN THE PROTEINS ARE PRECIPITATED FROM THE CONCENTRATE BY THE ADDITION OF ANTICHAOTROPIC ORGANIC SOLVENT (ETHANOL) IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 50-90 V/V%; WHEREIN THE PRECIPITATED PROTEIN IS CENTRIFUGED, WASHED AND FREEZE DRIED; AND WHEREIN THE HYDROLYSED PKC HAS A PROTEIN CONTENT IN THE RANGE OF 20%-30%. MOST ILLUSTRATIVE DRAWING: