Rapeseed oil

What is rapeseed oil?

Rapeseed oil is extracted from the seeds of the homonymous plant (botanical name Brassica napus oleifera ), which contain it in concentrations varying from 35 to 50%.

Rapeseed oil is a product used in many areas and with good commercial value; however, in the food sector it has been the subject of numerous controversies due to the concentration of erucic acid.

Rapeseed oil and erucic acid

Due to its erucic acid content, a cardiotoxic lipid that caused great health concerns in the 1970s, rapeseed was the subject of intense crop selection work. Researchers have thus succeeded in obtaining a variety of rapeseed with a low content of saturated fatty acids and erucic acid, called Canadian Brassica or more simply Canola .

Canola oil

What is canola oil?

Canola oil is a rapeseed oil without erucinco acid, therefore harmless to health. The term canola is a noun derived from the union of the words "oil" - oil - and "Canada" - the country in which this plant is mostly cultivated).

The selection of varieties producing rapeseed oil with a low erucic acid content (allowed in our country in concentrations not exceeding 5%), was pursued by subjecting the original plant to UV radiation, in order to induce modifications in its DNA. Among the mutated varieties the Canola was thus obtained, seen by many with skepticism precisely because of its "mutant" origin; in reality the process just described has nothing to do with gene modification (see GMOs), since UV rays do nothing but accelerate the normal mutation process, an integral part of natural selection processes.

This does not mean that GMO rapeseed varieties do not exist; on the other hand, rapeseed oil which is recognized as "Organic Certification" must necessarily be free of GMO organisms.

Trade

Rape oil commercial value

Even today, rapeseed is an important source of edible oil, so much so that it is widely cultivated in the European Union (especially in Germany, France, Belgium, Holland and the Po Valley), Canada and China.

Currently (2013/2014), worldwide, rapeseed oil is produced second only to palm oil and soybean oil; Rapeseed flour is also widely used, obtained from oil extraction residues, because it is particularly rich in proteins (36-42% on dry matter) with a biological value similar to the protein fraction of soy; rapeseed flour is then used as a protein support in animal feed.

Property

Rape oil fatty acids - canola

The acidic composition of rapeseed oil is similar to that of olive oil; the seeds of the canola variety are in fact particularly rich in oleic acid (monounsaturated - omega 9), but also - a rather rare characteristic among vegetable oils - of alpha-linolenic acid (polyunsaturated). The latter is the progenitor of the so-called omega 3, fatty acids particularly appreciated as essential for the good health of the organism and endowed with hypoglyceridemicizing, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory and structural effects for cell membranes, for the nervous and ocular system.

In the rapeseed oil the proportion between omega 3 and omega 6 is also optimal, often unbalanced in favor of the latter due to the excessive consumption of vegetable oils (with the exception of a few such as flax, hemp, kiwi, etc.) and the insufficient introduction of foods rich in omega three (prevailing only in fish, algae, krill and related oils).

Other nutritional characteristics of rapeseed oil - canola

In addition to the aforementioned distribution of fatty acids, rapeseed oil is naturally rich in:

• Tocopherols (vit E): powerful antioxidants
• Phytosterols: antioxidants and cholesterol-lowering agents
• Chlorophyll: antioxidants.

Rapeseed oil - canola and health: considerations

It is undeniable that the peculiar acidic profile of canola oil makes it a very valid aid in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, especially if the product is used in moderation (to avoid introducing too many calories) and as a substitute for animal fats (rich of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids).

A scientific review of 2013 on the health effects of rapeseed oil - canola, compared to other fatty dietary sources, has provided overall favorable results:

• Significant reduction of total cholesterol and especially of LDL (or bad cholesterol)
• Increased levels of tocopherols in the blood
• Better insulin sensitivity.

Rapeseed oil has been defined by the "Food and Drug Administration" a natural reducer of the risk of coronary diseases, due to the high quality of its fatty acids (healt claim).

Nutritional depletion of rapeseed oil - canola

On paper, the nutritional characteristics of canola oil would make it even better than extra virgin olive oil and all other vegetable oils, although it should be remembered as the latter, including rapeseed oil (canola), of rule undergo extraction processes (hexane solvent) and rectification with chemicals at high temperatures. All these processes tend to "empty" the unsaponifiable fraction of rapeseed oil (canola), in which - in addition to indisederate substances - micronutrients and important nutritional factors are present, such as tocopherols (vit E), phytosterols and chlorophyll.

Rapeseed oil - cold-pressed canola

To avoid the inconvenience of nutritional depletion caused by the traditional extraction with rapeseed oil from canola oil, the cold pressing method was adopted. With this system a maximum yield of 44% is obtained.

Purposes

How is canola oil used in the kitchen?

Rapeseed oil with a low erucic acid content (canola oil) is used as a table oil, for cooking, in the manufacture of margarines and shortening. Due to the high smoke point conferred by its richness in oleic acid, canola oil can also be used for frying.

Description of rapeseed oil - canola

The crude rapeseed oil has an amber complexion, but after grinding it becomes particularly clear, with a pale yellow color and a rather clear appearance.

Other uses of rapeseed oil - canola

In Europe, especially in our peninsula, canola oil is largely destined for industrial use, including the production of biodiesel; in the United States, on the contrary, it is widely used by the population as edible oil, given the already mentioned nutritional properties.

Other Selections

Botanical selections for nutritional purposes

However, the selection of rapeseed varieties did not stop at the birth of the canola, but continued to further break down the content of erucic acid, fiber and glucosinates; the latter are in fact responsible for the formation of volatile products with a bad smell during the pressure of the seeds, while the reduction of the fiber has the purpose of reducing the non-digestible fraction of the residual panel to be destined for animal feeding, increasing its growth capacity.

Botanical selections for industrial purposes

On the opposite side, varieties of rapeseed with a high erucic acid content have also been selected, to be used for the preparation of lubricants, fuels (biodisel), paints, rubbers, steel pickling and drying oil.

Comparison