Abstract
Oilseed cakes are the by-products generated from edible oil processing. The oilseed cakes are generally used as animal feed, plant fertilizer or soil compost due to their high protein, carbohydrate, mineral and nitrogen contents. However, there is a strong interest to utilize oilseed cakes as food for humans due to increasing global population and food prices as well as the attractive emerging nutritional information on many of these by-products (e.g. the concentration of secondary metabolites and protein contents). Soy, whey and egg albumin proteins have been widely used for human consumption and food applications for centuries due to their protein qualities and functional properties. The high demand for soybean and its vast cultivation due to global market forces caused a negative environment effect. Production of animal proteins, namely meat, whey and albumin, is not sustainable due to higher carbon and water usage. Therefore, the utilization of agricultural by-products, such as oilseed cakes, provides an opportunity to add value as well as filling a gap in protein demand. The present chapter focuses on oilseed cakes and discusses the opportunities to generate value-added products such as polyphenols, protein isolates and protein hydrolysates. The processing conditions, health benefits demonstrated in in vivo and in vitro studies of products generated from oilseed cakes are critically reviewed with the aim of determining the best-use options for the various materials. Strategies for the removal of antinutrients found in oilseed cakes are discussed.