Canola Protein: A Promising Protein Source for Delivery, Adhesive, and Material Applications

Abstract

Canola is second only to soy with regard to production volume, but the meal after extraction has limited value-added applications, apart from its use as feed. Emerging interest in the meal is to develop nonfood applications such as delivery systems, adhesives, or plastics. This review critically evaluates the recent progress in research on the applications of value-added canola protein, especially on nonfood applications such as plastics, films, packaging materials, adhesives, and drug delivery applications, and presents the perspectives on the future directions of canola protein utilization. Canola protein with suitable surface activity, gelation, interaction with other polymers, gastric and heat resistance, and biodegradability has the ability to form carriers to encapsulate, protect, and deliver bioactives/drugs. Canola-based adhesives prepared by denaturation, chemical modification, cross-linking, blending with synthetic resins, and nanomaterial addition show promising results in applications as adhesives. Canola protein-based plastic films are mostly prepared by solution casting with the aid of plasticizers to improve the ductility of the protein network through increasing the mobility of protein chains; incorporation of cross-linking agents could also increase protein-protein interactions toward the formation of stronger films. Canola proteins show wide potential for use as an encapsulant in delivery systems, as an adhesive, and as a plastic; however, further research is needed to improve the performance and to make it cost effective. equally contributed to the manuscript preparation and revisions.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus): Processing, Utilization, and Genetic Improvement

“…In recent years, the use of rapeseed meals to make bioplastic-based materials and cosmetics has emerged. Bandara et al [216] reviewed the success of using rapeseed protein as a capsule for bioactive drugs delivery. Rapeseed protein could be used as an adhesive, while blended with resins and nanomaterials, but also as plastic films for packaging.…”

Bio-Based Disposable Containers for Food Services

“…There are two main reasons behind the use of protein-based adhesives-first, it allows the production of materials with specific physical and chemical properties needed for industrial utilization and second, it replaces synthetic adhesives leading to a reduction in the carbon footprint [54]. Common plant proteins utilized for adhesive preparation include soy protein [68][69][70][71], wheat gluten [69,72,73], cotton protein [68,74], rapeseed (or canola) protein [75][76][77], and zein protein from corn [77,78].…”

Wood-based resins and other bio-based binders for the production of mineral wool

“…Soy protein is the most studied representative because of its high availability and low price as byproduct of the soy oil industry (Luo et al 2015, Qi et al 2016, Tian et al 2018. One emerging protein as basis material is canola (Bandara et al 2018).…”