Rapeseed oil comes from the black seeds of the oilseed rape plant, Brassica napus, from the same Brassica family as the vegetables broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. It is widely used for cooking, baking, and food processing.
Canada is the largest producer of rapeseed oil, with Germany coming in a close second. The name “canola” comes from a pairing of the words “Canada” and “oil”
Rapeseed oil vs canola oil.
For clarity and better understanding, It’s important to distinguish between the two main types of rapeseed oil: industrial and culinary(canola).
While Industrial rapeseed oil is used in the automotive and chemical industries, the culinary version is used for cooking. The two varieties are notably different due to their genetic makeup and content of erucic acid, which is harmful to your health in high amounts
In fact, to be called canola oil, it must contain an erucic acid level of 2% or less and meet internationally regulated standards. Otherwise, it will be labeled as “rapeseed oil.” However, most varieties in grocery stores are canola oil.
Note: In this study, we will be using rapeseed oil and canola oil interchangeably to mean cooking oil from rapeseed.
How it is made
Rapeseed oil is made by both small and large-scale producers and comes in two forms: artisan cold-pressed and refined. Cold-pressing simply involves using a press to squeeze the oil out of the seeds, retaining all its natural flavor, before being simply filtered and bottled. Refined oil, on the other hand, is extracted from the seeds under high temperatures, before being cleaned to create a flavorless oil (allowing other ingredients, like spices, to shine during cooking) with a high smoke point.
Preparation: The Industrial Process
The first step in processing canola and rapeseed is to properly prepare the seed for oil removal. This step typically involves screening, ie using magnets to remove metal and impurities that can interfere with the process.
Next, is seed conditioning( ie heating the seed before mechanical rollers). The mechanical rollers are used to make thin flakes and ruptured the cells containing the oil. Finally, the seed is heated again and dried before mechanical pressing.
Extraction
The seed is mechanically pressed (pre-pressed) to extract approximately half to three quarters of the available oil so that the solvent extraction can be run more efficiently. The solvent extraction process uses hexane or other solvents to wash the canola or rapeseed oil from the prepared flakes.
Desolventizing
Once the oil has been removed by the solvent, the solvent must be removed from both the flakes and the canola or rapeseed oil. For the flakes, heat and steam are used to strip and recover the residual solvent. For canola or rapeseed oil, a distillation system is used to recover the solvent. The desolventizing flakes are now a product and ready for sale as a good source of protein. The canola or rapeseed oil can be further refined from a crude product to an edible product.
Oil Refining and Processing
Extracted and desolventized canola oil must be further processed to make an edible product. Edible oils are refined to improve the flavor, odor, color and stability using processes that degum, neutralize, bleach and deodorize the oil. These refining processes remove contaminants such as phosphatides, free fatty acids and pro-oxidants. At this point, the oil is ready for consumption.
BENEFITS AND CLAIMS
Canola oil has been hailed for the following health benefits:
As it is high in mono-unsaturated fats, it is one of the only unblended oils that can be heated to a high frying temperature and not spoil its antioxidants, character, colour or flavour.
It’s a great source of vitamin E, a potent antioxidant that supports skin and eye health.
Furthermore, it’s naturally low in saturated fat and high in unsaturated fat, which is linked to better heart health.
Rapeseed oil is also high in omega-6 fats, which support overall health when consumed in moderate amounts. However, most people get too much omega-6 fat in their diet, which can lead to inflammation .
Fortunately, rapeseed oil has an omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of 1:2, which is considered a healthy balance of the two fats. Most experts agree that a 1:4 ratio or less is ideal for good health, making rapeseed oil a good option .
Claims
In 2006, canola oil was given a qualified health claim by the United States Food and Drug Administration for lowering the risk of coronary heart disease, resulting from its significant content of unsaturated fats.
A 2014 review of health effects from consuming plant oils rich in alpha-linolenic acid, including canola, stated that there was moderate benefit for lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, bone fractures, and type-2 diabetes.
A 2019 review of randomized clinical trials found that canola oil consumption reduces total cholesterol (TC) and LDL compared to sunflower oil and saturated fat. Consumption of canola oil has been shown to reduce body weight when compared with saturated fat.
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