Enabling Canola Protein Optimization

Project Summary

Background

Interest in plant protein as a nutrient for human and livestock consumption is being driven by an increase in per capita income in countries with large and growing populations (e.g. China, India and Indonesia) leading to a demand for more meat in their diets and, thus, a greater need for animal feed. Conversely, increased demand for plant protein in European and North American diets is linked to health and lifestyle choices pertaining to meat consumption. Canada is uniquely positioned to produce sustainable, high quality protein products from one of its leading commodity crops, canola. Canola is a Canadian success story with producers, processors and consumers supporting a $27 B annual value chain centred largely on edible oil. Canola meal (what remains after oil extraction) is rich in protein; however, it is currently used primarily as a lower cost supplement in cattle feed and to a lesser extent in poultry, swine and fish feeds. This research will allow canola to be a substantially bigger player in the market for plant-based proteins, which is currently valued at $13 B and expected to grow considerably.

The Enabling Canola Protein Optimization (ECPO) project will focus on canola seed protein composition (the types of proteins in the seed and what they can do, i.e. functionality) and is not to be confused with seed protein content (i.e. the total amount of protein in the seed), which is the subject of a Canola Council of Canada-AAFC Cluster project lead by Dr. Robert Duncan (University of Manitoba). The goal of the Canola Cluster project lead by Dr. Duncan is to increase canola protein content to an index at or exceeding 80% total protein and oil content without compromising oil content. This is viewed by the industry as the point where protecting protein functionality during the oil extraction process becomes economically attractive. The Canola Cluster project includes screening of B. napus germplasm common to both projects, but is aimed at protein quality traits and digestibility (protein content, amino acid content, cruciferin and napin content, oil content, fatty acid content, glucosinolate content, phytate content, fibre content, free sugar content and in vitro protein digestibility), as well as the impact of conventional, cold pressing and modified processing methods on protein quality.
The ECPO project described herein is focused on developing B. napus/canola with specific seed protein profiles/compositions and functionalities, and is designed to both build upon and nicely complement the work in the Canola Cluster project. It will generate information, develop tools and provide germplasm to the canola breeding community that will permit the creation of canola lines with protein profiles/compositions having unique and uniform functionalities suited/tailored to specific applications. It will also address issues pertaining to canola protein palatability now that the compound contributing to its bitter taste (kaempferol) has been identified. The project is based on proof-of-concepts that have already demonstrated in Arabidopsis thaliana (functionalities unique to different types of cruciferins) and Camelina sativa (gene editing to create novel cruciferin profiles). Several investigators are involved in both the ECPO and Canola Cluster projects (J. Wanasundara, S. Vail, I. Parkin) and the respective principal investigators (R. Duncan, A. Sharpe and D. Hegedus) have coordinated in the preparation of this proposal to ensure a high degree of complementarity with no overlap.

Objectives:

1) A databank of seed protein composition and nucleotide variation with markers and genotyping platforms for accelerated selection in breeding programs.
A wide diversity of Brassica germplasm with variation in a range of seed traits will be characterized at the genomic and phenotypic level for seed protein composition and kaempferol content. The genomic data will be used for the modulation and editing of seed storage proteins, but will also be available to plant scientists in Canada and around the world for further improvement and understanding of multiple Brassica traits. The advancement of the genotyping resources will also provide genome selection tools that can be used by public and private plant breeders to aid in variety development.
2) B. napus germplasm with seed protein compositions tailored to specific applications.
The initial part of the project will generate data for protein functionality from B. napus collections that comprise most of the global diversity available in this species. This information alone will be useful to public and private sector breeders who may elect to acquire the germplasm and continue independently. The project will add further value by creating tools to model and predict seed protein functionality and use this information to develop lines with profiles based on the unique properties of specific seed proteins, namely isoforms of cruciferin. The lines with edited alleles of seed protein genes, or the tools used to generate them, will also be made available to breeders.

Project benefit

Canada is uniquely positioned to produce sustainable, high quality protein products from one of its leading commodity crops, canola. Canola seed consists of approximately 40-45% oil and 22-25% protein. While canola oil generally trades at a premium relative to other oilseeds, canola meal is significantly discounted, despite the fact that after oil extraction, the remaining meal has a high proportion of protein (40-45%). Currently, canola meal is used primarily as a low-cost additive in ruminant (bovine) and to a lesser extent in poultry, swine and fish feeds. This project will ensure that the Canadian canola industry does not continue along this path, instead capturing significantly more value from a part of the crop that is now treated as a low-value by-product.

This study provides a significant value-added concept (new canola varieties, products, new uses, and new markets) for previously under-utilized canola meal. This will provide a source of economic renewal and growth for rural Canada, supporting the competitiveness of Canada in the global marketplace, and position agriculture and rural communities for future success. The benefits of enhanced protein will flow along the entire canola supply chain. Elevating the value of canola meal will boost the farm-price of canola seed, providing more sustainable incomes for farmers and the rural communities that rely on these incomes. Product diversification will open new markets for canola and reduce reliance on fickle/unpredictable trading relationships. Food processors in Canada will also benefit from enhanced canola protein, which will allow them to market products with novel protein characteristics. Finally, consumers (both domestic and international) will benefit from the availability of new protein products.