Abstract: Silphium integrifolium Michx. (silflower) is an emerging oilseed crop that prevents soil erosion, fixes nitrogen in the soil and is drought resistant. The defatted silflower is rich in protein content that has potential food applications. Protein extracted from whole defatted silflower seeds is dark in color due to the extraction of compounds such as chlorophyll in the seeds coat. Dehulling poses a challenge as the kernel is fused in wings that are covered with a thick seed coat.
Different processing methods were used to lighten the color and increase the yield of extracted protein. It was found that fine milling raw silflower seeds resulted in a protein shift to fine particle size fraction, while the coarse fraction had higher amounts of seed coat. The protein extracted after defatting the fine fraction resulted in lighter color. The color (L*) values increased further when the raw silflower seeds were treated by different solvents prior to milling without affecting the yield of extracted protein. This study presents the potential of silflower as a new source of plant protein.
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