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Introduction to Canola Oil
Canola oil is made from canola seed. Canola
oil is pressed from tiny canola seeds produced by beautiful yellow flowering
plants of the Brassica family. Cabbages and cauliflower are also part
of the same botanical family! Canola was bred naturally from its parent
rapeseed in the early 1970s. Canola, however, is NOT rapeseed - their
nutritional profiles are very different.
Consumers recognize canola oil for its nutritional
attributes as it contains the lowest level of saturated fatty acids
of any vegetable oil. It is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which
have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels, and has moderate
levels of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is also a rich source
of vitamin E. Like all vegetable oils, canola oil is cholesterol- free.
These qualities are important in a healthy diet. Fats
and oils, such as canola, play an essential role in human nutrition.
Fat is part of every cell in the body, a valuable source of energy,
aids in absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, as well
as beta-carotene, and slows digestion so that you feel full for a longer
period.
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Canola Oil meets strict quality standards determined by industry and government regulatory agencies. Consumers can therefore be assured that the canola oil they purchase is of the highest quality.
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Canola is not Rapeseed, Canola Oil comes from Canola
Plants!
It may look the same on the outside but it's very
different on the inside where it matters. Plant scientists used traditional
plant breeding methods to get rid of rapeseed's less nutritional qualities.
A very small amount of rapeseed is still grown under contract specifically
for industrial uses including environmentally friendly lubricants.
In the early 1970s, canola was developed from rapeseed
using traditional plant breeding techniques. Erucic acid and glucosinolates
found in rapeseed were significantly reduced to produce the nutritionally
superior canola oil. The canola plant also produced seeds with a very
low level of saturated fat, high in monounsaturated fat and a good balance
of omega 3 and 6 fats.
This new oilseed was named "Canola" and
there is a strict internationally regulated definition of canola that
differentiates it from rapeseed, based upon it having less than two
percent erucic acid and less than 30 umoles glucosinolates. Therefore,
oilseed products that do not meet this standard cannot use the trademarked
term, canola. High erucic acid rapeseed acreage, although still grown,
is now confined to production under contract for specific industrial
uses.
Farmers have been growing canola for almost 40 years.
Grown mainly in Western Canada, Australia and the
USA, each canola plant grows anywhere from 1 m (3 feet) to 2 m (6 feet)
tall and produces yellow flowers which, in turn, produce seed pods.
The seed pods are about one-fifth the size of pea pods and contain about
twenty tiny round black or brownish-yellow seeds. 
Each canola seed is approximately 40 percent oil.
The seeds are crushed to obtain canola oil for human consumption and
the remainder is processed into canola meal, which is used as a high
protein livestock feed.
Each canola plant produces yellow flowers that, in
turn, produce pods similar in shape to pea pods, but about 1/5th the
size. Within the pods are tiny round seeds that are crushed to obtain
canola oil. Each seed contains approximately 40 percent oil. The remainder
of the seed is processed into canola meal, which is used as a high protein
livestock feed.
Where is Canola Grown?
Canola is grown primarily in regions of Western Canada,
with some acreage being planted in Ontario and the Pacific Northwest,
north central and southeastern United States. Canada is the biggest
single producer of canola. However, the EU member countries combined
grow more canola, and China's rapeseed acreage exceeds Canada's canola
production.
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