Safflower Seed Meal: Progress Towards Obtaining New Protein

Safflower seeds are primarily used for edible oil extraction given their good lipid profile and fatty acids contents. Following extraction seed meal is generated – a byproduct, that currently finds application majorly as animal feed because it is good source of protein and amino acids. In traditional literature safflower seeds, flowers, oil find extensive application as indigenous medicine, considering their nutrient and phytonutrient content. Despite all these benefits, safflower seed meal and protein are underutilized. With growing trend in consumption of plant-based protein and meat, novel and underutilized protein sources like safflower seeds are reviewed, investigated and explored. Consequently, interest of researcher is growing on harnessing the benefits of safflower meal and its protein. Thus, this chapter aims to provide comprehensive information about composition of safflower seed, meal, protein extraction methods, their functional properties and industrial application to aid researcher in further investigations.