Ingredient: Canola oil (USA) Rapeseed oil (UK)
Category: Oils
Season: All
Canola is a type of edible oil initially bred in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur Stefansson in the 1970s.
It is a trademarked quality description of a group of cultivars of rapeseed variants from which low erucic acid rapeseed oil and low glucosinolate meal are obtained.
The word "canola" was derived from "Canadian oil, low acid" in 1978.
The oil is also known as "Lear" oil (for Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed)
Once considered a specialty crop in Canada, canola has evolved into a major North American cash crop.
Canada and the United States produce between 7 and 10 million metric tons (tonnes) of canola seed per year. Annual Canadian exports total 3 to 4 million metric tons of the seed, 700,000 metric tons of canola oil and 1 million metric tons of canola meal.
The United States is a net consumer of canola oil.
The major customers of canola seed are Japan, Mexico, China and Pakistan,
The bulk of canola oil and meal goes to the United States, with smaller amounts shipped to Taiwan, Mexico, China, and Europe.
The negative associations with the word "rape" in North America resulted in the more marketing-friendly name "Canola".
The change in name also serves to distinguish it from regular rapeseed oil, which has much higher erucic acid content.
Canola oil is a promising source for manufacturing bio-diesel, a renewable alternative to fossil fuels
Canola oil has been claimed to be healthy due to its low, or even zero, saturated fat and high—almost 60%—monounsaturated oil content and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids profile.
The Canola Council of Canada states that it is completely safe and is the healthiest of all commonly used cooking oils.
Claims of safety are a bit questionable, as almost all the testing on humans was based on trials that lasted an average of three weeks. |