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Commercial Success of ECLAIR Programme
AGRE-0046: Vegetable oil for innovation in chemical industries (VOICI) |
AGRE-0046: Vegetable oil for innovation in chemical industries (VOICI)
Science Background
A number of non-crop plants known from the wild or used as ornamentals produce seeds containing unusual oils that may be of value to the chemical industries. These include Crambe, Limnanthes (meadowfoam) and Dimorphotheca (African daisy).
Objectives
This project, coordinated by CPRO-DLO (The Netherlands) aimed to evaluate the potential of three genera of novel oil seed plants to produce feedstock for use by the chemical industry in manufacture of cosmetics, oleochemicals, lubricants, resins and coatings. Agronomic, technical and economic aspects of the production of Crambe (C. abyssinica and C. hispanica), meadowfoam (L. alba and L. douglasii) and African daisy (D. pluvialis) would be investigated. Preliminary evaluation of Euphoria lagascae, Lunaria annua and Calendula officinalis was also conducted. The quality of the oils produced from these species would be evaluated, as well as the suitability of the residues for use as animal feed, as this is a significant factor in the economics of introducing new oil crops.
Significant changes and results since end of ECLAIR
Research on Dimorphotheca under AIR indicated that it is a long way away from commercialization. Research on Crambe has continued as concerted actions under AIR and FAIR. The AIR project on Crambe, in collaboration with industry, identified a number of applications for this crop and demonstrated that Crambe could be cultivated across Europe with seed yields reaching 3t/ha. FAIR1-CT95-0260 investigated the isolation of glucosinolates (GLs) for use as biocides. Crambe and meadowfoam are now grown commercially on a small scale in Europe. Further research on Crambe is being carried out under FAIR6-CT98-4333, focused on breeding and agronomy, in order to provide high and stable yields, grow the crop using environmentally friendly techniques and produce seeds and oil suitable for specific industrial uses.
Results
At end of this ECLAIR project
Crambe was of interest as it contains high levels of erucic acid, which is of value in production of poly-olefine film. It was nearest to the market and could be harvested and processed using existing equipment and techniques however, the raw product price was too high. Its economic value could be improved by increased disease resistance and yield and reduced glucosinolate (an impediment to use of the residual meal as an animal feed) content, as well as the identification of a use for the residual straw. The other two species were not yet ready for farmers. Meadowfoam still had a low and unreliable yield with product recovery made harder by the fact that seeds shatter at harvest. The African daisy also had a yield too low to be economic. Both plants required a breeding programme aimed at improving the crop characteristics.
Current position
CPRO-DLO also coordinated AIR2-CT93-1817: Vegetable oils with specific fatty acids (VOSFA): agricultural and industrial development of novel oilseed crops which continued investigations of D. pluvialis (hydroxy fatty acids), as well as four other species of novel plants: Euphorbia lagascae (epoxy fatty acids), Calendula officinalis (conjugated double bond), Lesquerella spp. (hydroxy fatty acids) and Lunaria annua (long chain fatty acids). The choice of plant species was based on the preliminary results obtained in VOICI and on the needs of industry. The results from this project showed that:
Research on Crambe continued as the concerted action AIR3-CT94-2480: Crambe abyssinica – production and utilization – a comprehensive programme, coordinated by ENESAD (France). During the three years of the concerted action trials were carried out on many aspects of seed production (breeding, agronomy) and on utilization (hulls, glucosinolates for fine chemistry and pharmacy, use of oil in the mechanical industries and as an adjuvant for pesticides).
All these aspects as well as the economic factors were reviewed during a meeting that took place in San Miniato (Italy) in May 1997. The findings encouraged private companies to collaborate with the concerted action and confirmed the potential for use of products derived from Crambe through new outlets in a wide range of applications
The use of erucic acid in oleochemistry is now well established and an increasing market for this compound already exists. Experiments, carried out during the AIR project in cooperation with private companies, showed that Crambe oil can effectively replace mineral oil in many mechanical industry processes such as metal working, lubrication, quenching, cutting, etc.
The protein meal contains about 6% of glucosinolates (GLs), which during processing, are hydrolysed into antinutritional compounds that reduce the nutritional value of meal for animal feed. A detoxification method was identified during this project, however in the longer term, the best solution would be to lower the GL content by breeding or by technology. The latter approach, in which GLs are isolated and used as biocidal compounds, is being investigated in FAIR1-CT95-0260: High quality oils, protein and bioactive products for food and non-food purposes based on biorefining of cruciferous oilseed crops.
AIR3-CT94-2480 also demonstrated that Crambe could be cultivated across Europe from the Baltic Sea to southern Italy with seed yields reaching 3t/ha. However, it was also shown that yields are often much lower. Thus, it was clear that primary production was the weak link in the development of Crambe as an industrial crop. FAIR6-CT98-4333: DiCra: Diversification with Crambe: an industrial oil crop focuses on breeding and agrophysiology in order to improve the crop.
The aims are to provide high and stable yields, grow the crop using environmentally friendly techniques and produce seeds and oil suitable for specific industrial uses. Several interspecific crosses of C. abyssinica, C. hispanica and C. rilirormis have already been made using classical techniques. Biochemical analysis of root carbohydrate, amino acid, dehydrin and hormone contents will be used to identify traits related to cold tolerance. Samples of oils, fatty acids, GLs and proteins collected from trials throughout Europe will also be analysed.
Impact
Commercial
Project AIR3-CT94-2480 concluded that farmers will grow Crambe only if it is profitable for them. This depends not only on the technical performance of products, but also on the potential income, which in turn depends on productivity, the value of the crop and any premium that industrial crops may receive. Although new varieties that are more adapted to European soil and climatic have been identified, yields are still very variable. Hence, more work is being carried out under FAIR6-CT98-4333focused on breeding and agronomy in order to increase the commercial value of this crop. However, Crambe is currently being grown commercially in Europe. Meadowfoam is also grown commercially on a small scale in Europe for use in cosmetics.
Associated
Research, coordinated by PPM EV (Germany), under AIR3-CT94-2199: The use of enzymes in the processing of new oilseeds (UEPNO) to industrial raw material investigated the enzymatic extraction of oils from Calendula officinalis, Coriandum sativum, Crambe abyssinica and Euphorbia lagascae.
Contacts
ENESAD
Author
CPRO-DLO
PPM EV
University Vet & Agri
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Updated
by CPL Press:
03/07/2007
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