Abstract
The average fatty acid (FA) composition of canola oil is made up of 62% oleic acid (C18:1n9), 19% linoleic acid (C18:2n6), 9% linolenic acid (C18:3n3) and 7% saturated FA (SFA). We investigated whether boreal climate (7.5-17.2 °C) favorably altered the FA composition of canola. Results indicate that canola cultivated in boreal climatic conditions had approximately twice the levels of omega-3 FA (17-20%) compared to canola from other growing areas (9%). The presence of monoacetyldiacylglycerol (MAcDG), a unique class of triglyceride, is reported for the first time in canola cultivated in a boreal climate, and has the potential to reduce the risk of obesity and other health related diseases. We further demonstrated that a non-solvent based extraction method retained the novel lipid composition without reducing the quality of oil being produced. Our results contribute significantly to the understanding of lipid accumulation in the world's second most important oil crop when cultivated in a boreal or northern climate.
Highlights
Canola (Brassica napus L.) is a member of the crucifer or rapeseed family developed in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur Steffanson in 1975 [1,2] by traditional plant breeding techniques as a low glucosinolate (e.g., 3-butenyl glucosinolate, 4-pentenyl glucosinolate, 2-hydroxy-3 butenyl glucosinolate, and 2-hydroxy-4-pentenyl glucosinolate) and euric acid (2%) rapeseed crop variety [1,3]
We observed that cultivation of canola in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) under boreal climatic conditions dramatically altered the fatty acid (FA) composition
This alteration was consistent over the 3 growing seasons where an average growing temperature of 7.5-17.2 °C was recorded in NL (Fig. 1A), compared to the average growing temperature of 8.6-24.2 °C observed in most canola growing areas such as Manitoba (Fig. 1B) for the 3 growing seasons we evaluated
Summary
Canola (Brassica napus L.) is a member of the crucifer or rapeseed family developed in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur Steffanson in 1975 [1,2] by traditional plant breeding techniques as a low glucosinolate (e.g., 3-butenyl glucosinolate, 4-pentenyl glucosinolate, 2-hydroxy-3 butenyl glucosinolate, and 2-hydroxy-4-pentenyl glucosinolate) and euric acid (2%) rapeseed crop variety [1,3]. The term ‘rapeseed’ refer to both high and low glucosinolate/erucic acid varieties used for edible and industrial applications [5]. Canola is the highest value oilseed crop grown in Canada contributing about $26.7 billion dollars to the Canadian economy [3] and is used in dietary supplementation in the form of salad dressing, baking, stir-fries, and margarines [7]. It is one of the most widely used sources of biofuel [8]. The popularity and extensive use of canola in the food sector has resulted in the canola crop and industry rapidly expanding over the past 40 years, rising from the sixth largest oilseed crop to the second largest [9,10] in the world
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