An aqueous integrated process was developed to obtain several valuable products from sunflower seeds. With a high-shear rate crusher, high-pressure homogenization and centrifugation, it is possible to process 600× g of seeds in 1400× g of water to obtain a concentrated cream phase with a dry matter (dm) content of 46%, consisting of 74 (w/w dm) lipids in the form of an oil-body dispersion (droplet size d(0.5): 2.0 µm) rich in proteins (13% w/w dm, with membranous and extraneous proteins). The inclusion of an enzymatic step mediated by a lipase made possible the total hydrolysis of trigylcerides into fatty acids. The resulting cream had a slightly higher lipid concentration, a ratio lipid/water closer to 1, with a dry matter content of 57% consisting of 69% (w/w) lipids, a more complex structure, as observed on Cryo-SEM, with a droplet size slightly greater (d(0.5): 2.5 µm) than that of native oil bodies and a conserved protein concentration (12% w/w dm) but an almost vanished phospholipid content (17.1 ± 4.4 mg/g lipids compared to 144.6 ± 6 mg/g lipids in the oil-body dispersion and 1811.2 ± 122.2 mg/g lipids in the seed). The aqueous phases and pellets were also characterized, and their mineral, lipid and protein contents provide new possibilities for valorization in food or technical applications.

Oil bodies, also called oleosomes have been the object of an increased interest since the last decade. Different processes of extraction and purification involve an aqueous crushing with methods to soften the cell membranes. An integrated process was used on different oilseeds to compare the different oil-body dispersions obtained. Once extracted with an aqueous crushing, oil bodies are dispersed in a creamy phase containing also an important protein content. Their stability depends on membranous proteins but also surrounding, extraneous ones. To eliminate these non-membranous proteins, the emulsion can be washed with different compounds allowing a good protein solubilization. If the fatty acid, phytosterol, tocopherol contents and distribution are compared between seeds and dispersions of oil bodies, there appears to be little significant change. These valuable compounds are hence preserved in the oil bodies. However, aqueous crushing releases phospholipase partly explaining the lower phospholipid content and the higher relative concentration of phosphatidic acid. To preserve these emulsions, it is possible to dry them either through freeze-drying or spray-drying. Spray-drying allows a better recovery of the physical structure of the emulsion after rehydration but cryo-protectants as Tris or Glycerol can limit emulsion degradation provoked by hard mechanical constraints of a freeze-drying process.