Hebrew University Team Produces Dairy Protein in Safflower Seeds

Hebrew University researchers led by Prof. Oded Shoseyov engineered beta-casein in drought-tolerant, oil-producing safflower seeds after first demonstrating the approach in Arabidopsis. The dairy protein supports texture, curdling, emulsification, and the melting and stretching of cheese. In the published Arabidopsis experiment, the best line produced beta-casein equal to 1.26% of total soluble seed protein, or 3,669 nanograms per milligram of seed weight, while retaining 91% germination. Shoseyov said extracting the safflower product involves pressing the seeds and centrifuging the resulting mixture into protein-rich cream and solids.