Adsorbent resin technology for flavour removal in canola protein isolate processing

Bitter flavors, pigments, and odorants limit the application of canola protein isolate (CPI). This study combined Alkaline Extraction-Isoelectric Precipitation with resin washing (XAD-16N, HP-20, SP-207) to reduce volatile and non-volatile compounds. Resin treatments removed >95 % of non-volatiles, including sinapine and glucosinolates (¹H NMR, p ≤ 0.05). HS-GC/MS and ROAV analysis showed XAD-16N significantly reduced VOCs (p ≤ 0.05), confirmed by E-nose profiling. Functional properties improved: solubility increased >20 % between pH 4-8, with HP-20 showing the highest solubility across all pH and enhanced lightness (L* = 67.87). Emulsifying activity index (EAI) improved by >35 %, while foaming capacity remained unchanged; foam stability increased by >3 %. Resin-assisted purification effectively mitigates odorants and enhances CPI functionality. This approach supports CPI's use as a high-quality plant protein ingredient in food formulations, addressing flavour and odor challenges in plant-based systems.