To obtain proteins from OO rapeseed meal for use in human food, a first step was realized by fermentation with Rhizopus oligosporus sp-T3. The meal's fermentation during 40 h resulted in degradation of 84% of carbohydrates, 30% of lignin and other polyphenolic components indigestible by nonruminants, and 47% of total glucosinolates which are responsible for goitre. The fermentation improves the nutritional quality of rapeseed meal by degrading undesirable factors.

Palmaria palmata (dulse) is an edible red alga constituting a potential protein source in human diet. However, previous studies showed that the digestibility of dulse proteins is bad because of the cell-wall encapsulating cytoplasmic proteins and the presence of fibers. The water-soluble xylan, present in high proportions in dulse, could be involved to explain the weak digestibility of proteins. To limit the influence of fibers and to improve the nutritional quality of these proteins, we have treated dulse by physical processes or by fermentation by moulds. After a 30 min predigestion by pepsin followed by a 6 h digestion into a cell dialysis containing porcine pancreatin, the corrected in vitro digestibility of crude dulse was very low (about 1.5% after correction by digestibility blank). The in vitro protein digestibility was estimated to 58% of that of casein for dulse samples obtained after washing in demineralized water and grinding in liquid nitrogen. The in vitro protein digestibility of fermented samples was 45%-65% of that of casein. After physical treatment, the digestibility improvement was related to the elimination of soluble molecules such as xylan and mineral salts. The improvement observed after fermentations seemed due to the degradation of insoluble fibers.

Palmaria palmata and Gracilaria verrucosa are edible red seaweeds and potential protein sources for human or animal nutrition, so studies were conducted on their in vitro protein digestibility. After 30 min predigestion by pepsin followed by 6 h digestion into a cell dialysis containing porcine pancreatin, the in vitro protein digestibility of P. palmata and G. verrucosa, expressed in regard to casein digestibility, was 4.9% and 42.1%, respectively. The level of protein digestibility seems to be related to the amount of soluble fibre, which was 45.3% and 30.5%, respectively.

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