Valorisation of proteins from palm kernel meal

A process to extract proteins from palm kernel meal was investigated. A sequence of unit operations was implemented and optimized in order to ensure an optimal process efficacy. It has been determined that among all the enzymes that were tested, Alcalase had the highest capacity to hydrolyse proteins and solubilize them in solution, especially after using 5% dry matter of PKM as a starting material. Thus, 80% of the proteins were solubilized in the supernatant after Alcalase treatment, but only 60% of the proteins were recovered in the permeate after applying ultrafiltration (300 kDa), with a purity of 60%. Functionality tests revealed that the protein fraction obtained had a very high solubility and a mild foaming and emulsification capacity.