Burcon NutraScience Corporation announced that it has received a co-investment from Proteins Industries Canada for the development of high-quality protein ingredients from sunflower seeds. The $1 million project will see Burcon partnering with Pristine Gourmet, a processor of 100% pure Canadian non-GMO cold pressed virgin oils, to further develop Burcon's novel process for the production of sunflower protein ingredients. Premium sunflower protein isolate, that contains greater than 90% protein purity and have exceptional taste and functionality, has the potential of setting a new benchmark in the growing plant-based ingredients market.

Leveraging Burcon's core protein extraction and purification platform, the project intends to fine-tune and scale up an economical extraction and isolation process arising from the by-product (pressed cake) of sunflower oil production. Protein Industries Canada's co-investment further supports Canadian innovation in the development of cutting-edge food technologies and patent-pending processes to develop products that are unique in the global plant-based protein marketplace. Sunflower protein ingredients are naturally non-GMO, have a favourable taste profile, low allergenicity, are particularly label-friendly, and easily understood and accepted by consumers.

As the world's third largest oilseed crop, behind soy and canola, sunflower seed has significant potential to be a major source of protein within the plant-based food revolution. Sunflower seed proteins produced using Burcon's extraction technology exhibit unique and potentially valuable functional characteristics as well as a nutritional profile similar to that of canola protein. Unlocking the potential of protein present in sunflower seed for mainstream food ingredient applications could mean that would be unlocking vast quantities of novel plant protein worldwide.