Unlocking even more value in Canada’s canola industry

Canada’s canola industry generates $43.7 billion in economic activity each year, according to the Canola Council of Canada. Canola oil is currently the primary output, but researchers from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are exploring new ways to get even more value from this hybrid plant developed in the 1970s.

Runrong Yin is a graduate student in USask’s College of Engineering; Edgar Martinez Soberanes conducted this research as part of his PhD (engineering) and now works in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources. They used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at USask to analyze a new processing technique that could enable companies to make better use of all parts of canola seeds.

A canola seed consists of an outer hull that tightly encases an inner kernel. During standard canola processing, the entire seed is crushed to produce oil and a mixture (called meal) that contains the hull and the protein. The meal is either used as low-quality feed for cattle or is disposed of as waste. However, if the hull and kernel can be separated first, it creates opportunities for more primary products from canola besides just oil.

As much as 30 per cent of the canola kernel is protein, which could be used as a source of plant-based protein for humans, according to Martinez Soberanes. “My colleague has used canola meal  to make high-protein crackers, but it could be used in many other foods too,” he says. “I can picture it in a variety of products on grocery store shelves.”

Canola protein could also be used as a high-quality feed for more animals, such as fish and poultry. The canola hull also has valuable omega-7 oils. “About $5 could buy you a kilogram of canola oil, but for canola hull oil you’d need to pay $7,000,” says Yin. The hull must be separated from the kernel to generate this valuable oil, a challenge given how tightly the hull is wrapped around the kernel.

The new process the USask team has developed for separating the hull from the kernel involves heating, cooling, and adding moisture to the canola seeds. They used the non-destructive synchrotron X-rays at the CLS to analyze their method’s effect on the seeds.

“We're talking about a seed the size of two millimeters. That’s very small and the changes inside are even smaller. That's why we needed to use the CLS’s intense X-rays. Otherwise, we would not be able to see the changes,” says Martinez Soberanes.  

They found their method created a small gap between the seed’s hull and kernel. Once this gap is created, you can break the hull without damaging the kernel, he explains. “It’s like breaking open a peanut shell. The gap inside helps to separate the nut and it protects the nut when the shell is crushed.”

Martinez Soberanes says the fact that their method uses equipment already common in the industry suggests that integrating the proposed dehulling process could be feasible. However, additional work is needed to address challenges related to implementation and scalability.

“We want to be able to utilize everything from canola: the oil, kernel, and hull,” says Yin. “Being able to separate these components of the seeds makes this possible. With our process, you can easily and economically get canola oil, omega-7 oil, and canola protein products from canola seeds.”

While more research is needed to scale up the method for industry, the team is excited about the potential in their new process.

“We feel confident that we can provide an increase to the value that canola already has that will benefit Saskatchewan and Canada,” says Martinez Soberanes.

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Yin, Runrong, Jianheng Shen, Edgar E. Martinez Soberanes, Jeffrey Popiel, Pan Gao, Wenjun Zhang, and Martin JT Reaney. "From microstructure to macroseparation: Synchrotron X-ray microtomography analysis to guide efficient canola dehulling." Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies (2025): 104303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104303

Re-posted from lightsource.ca.