Edible protein products from cruciferae seed meals

Rape, crambe and mustard seed are compared with respect to properties of the fixed oil, nature of the mustard oils and properties of the seed protein. Rapeseed (Brassica campestris andB. napus) has benefited greatly from plant breeding; the erucic acid content of the fixed oil and the level of glucosinolates can now be selected. Crambe seed (Crambe abyssinica), however, is still high in erucic acid and in glucosinolates. The glucosinolate patterns of the mustards are naturally simple. Procedures for preparing edible flours and isolates from rape, crambe and mustard seed are described. With mustard (B. hirta, juncea andnigra), the glucosinolate hydrolysis products are volatile and steamstripping yields a bland flour. With rape and crambe seeds, the intact glucosinolates must be removed; aqueous extraction is practicable. The physical, chemical and nutritional properties of some of the meals, flours and isolates prepared from cruciferae seed are described.