Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, it was restricted as a food oil due to its content of erucic acid. Laboratory studies about this acid have shown damage to the cardiac muscle of laboratory animals in high quantities. It also imparts a bitter taste, and glucosinolates, which made many parts of the plant less nutritious in animal feed.[1][2] Rapeseed oil from standard cultivars can contain up to 54% erucic acid.[3]
Canola oil is a food-grade version derived from rapeseed cultivars specifically bred for low acid content. It is also known as low erucic acid rapeseed (LEAR) oil and is generally recognized as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration.[a][4] Canola oil is limited by government regulation to a maximum of 2% erucic acid by weight in the US[4] and the EU,[5] with special regulations for infant food. These low levels of erucic acid do not cause harm in humans.[4][6]
In commerce, non-food varieties are typically called colza oil.[7]
Rapeseed is extensively cultivated in Canada, France, Belgium, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Japan and Slovenia. In France and Denmark especially, the extraction of the oil is an important industry.
- ^ O'Brien 2008, p. 37.
- ^ Balakhial, Amir; Naserian, Abasali; Heravi moussavi, Alireza; Valizadeh, Reza (2022). "Effect of Replacing Corn Silage with Canola Silage on Feed Intake, Nutrient Digestibility, Milk Yield, and Thyroid Hormones of Lactating Dairy Cows". Farm Animal Health and Nutrition. 1 (1): 1–5. doi:10.58803/fahn.v1i1.2.
- ^ Sahasrabudhe 1977, p. 323.
- ^ a b c d "21 CFR 184.1555 "Rapeseed oil"". US Food and Drug Administration. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2020. (ecfr.gov version)
- ^ "Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels of erucic acid and hydrocyanic acid in certain foodstuffs". eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Commission Directive 80/891/EEC of 25 July 1980 relating to the Community method of analysis for determining the erucic acid content in oils and fats intended to be used as such for human consumption and foodstuffs containing added oils or fats". Official Journal of the European Communities. 254. European Commission. 27 September 1980.
- ^ Velíšek, Jan (2013). The Chemistry of Food. Wiley. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-118-38383-4.
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