Kinetic characterization of cooking-induced changes in crambe seed prepared for expelling Original Research Article

Expellers offer a viable means for extracting oil from crambe seed (Crambe abyssinica) and other niche oilseeds. Oilseeds are often cooked before expelling; however, little is known about the effects of cooking on the seed. Crambe seed (9% moisture) was cooked at exactly 80–112 °C for 5–20 min, using a bench-scale steam cooker developed for this purpose. Seed myrosinase activity decreased to below detection under the more intense conditions. Soluble protein content and light absorbance (280 and 420 nm) of aqueous seed extracts decreased with increased cooking time and temperature, in accordance with a first-order kinetic model. The D0 and z-values for absorbance at 280 nm were 12.7 min and 36.6 °C, respectively. Measurement of absorbance at 280 nm is a simple, rapid analytical method that may be useful to tune the cooking conditions for improved expeller performance.