Canola Oil

Canola is a crop grown in Canada, Europe, Australia and some parts of the United States. The plants produce small yellow flowers that develop into pods, similar to pea pods. Inside each pod are tiny black seeds that are packed with trans-fat-free oil. After harvesting, the seeds are crushed to release the canola oil from the seed’s protein-rich solids. The oil and solids then undergo further processing – the oil for cooking oil and food products, and the solids as a high-value ingredient for animal feeds. Today canola is also used as a feedstock for renewable fuels.

Canola oil is high in unsaturated fats and has the lowest amount of saturated fat among the common cooking oils. It contains high amounts of oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat) and alpha-linolenic acid (the plant-based omega-3 essential fatty acid).

Many clinical trials have shown that canola oil has health benefits when used instead of other fat sources. Canola oil is eligible to carry a qualified health claim from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its ability to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when used in place of saturated fat in the diet.

Canola oil comes from the seeds of the canola plant, one of the most widely grown crops in Canada. Canola plants produce beautiful small yellow flowers which develop into pods, resembling pea pods. Each pod contains tiny black seeds, made up of about 45% oil. Once harvested, canola seeds are crushed to release the oil contained within the seed. The oil is then further refined and bottled as canola oil.

Canola is sometimes mistaken for rapeseed because canola was originally bred from rapeseed and the plants are similar in appearance. However, canola has much lower levels of erucic acid and glucosinolates – the characteristics that make rapeseed undesirable. To meet the official definition of canola, the plant must produce oil containing less than 2% erucic acid. The meal must contain less than 30 micromoles of glucosinolates per gram of air‑dried oil-free meal.

In scientific studies, canola oil has been shown to have a positive effect on several chronic health conditions. It is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for human consumption, including use in infant formula. Canola oil is eligible to carry a qualified health claim from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its ability to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when used in place of saturated fat in the diet.

Canola was developed using traditional plant breeding during the 1960s and 1970s, long before biotechnology was available. Using selective breeding techniques, plant developers were able to lower the two unwanted components of rapeseed and develop a new plant now called canola. Later, traditional breeding was also used to develop the high oleic canola oil used by the food industry as an alternative to artificial trans fat.

Today, many different varieties of canola are available, including genetically modified (GM) and non-GM canola. Plant breeders are constantly making improvements to help farmers deal with challenges such as drought, pests and crop diseases. New plant traits such as herbicide tolerance have helped canola farmers switch to no-tillage practices and use smaller amounts of herbicides to control weeds, keeping soil moist and fertile.

Regardless of whether it comes from GM or non-GM plants, the oil from canola is exactly the same. In herbicide-tolerant canola, the modification has been made to only one canola gene. That gene is a protein, and all proteins are removed from canola oil during processing. That means canola oil made from GM seed is conventional canola oil.

Canola oil is processed similarly to other seed oils. After thorough cleaning, canola seed is crushed to extract the oil. The seed may be “cold-pressed,” but in most cases, the seed is heated and flaked to allow more oil to be released. Oil is not water-soluble, so an approved sol­vent called hexane can be used to remove more of the oil from the seed solids. The hexane is used under carefully controlled conditions, and is recycled and reused. It does not stay in the oil or the solids.

Following extraction, the oil can be further refined to produce a shelf-stable, clear and neutral-tasting oil. Color pig­ments can be removed by a filter containing natural clay (a process sometimes describing as “bleaching,” although no bleach is involved). Great care is taken to ensure the finished product is of high quality. Canola oil processed in this way can be stored at room tempera­ture for about one year.

After the oil has been extracted, the solid parts of canola seed are processed into canola meal. This protein-packed product is used in animal feed.

Over several decades, many different investigators have conducted peer-reviewed clinical trials involving thousands of human volunteers. These studies examined the role of canola oil in lowering blood cholesterol levels and reducing risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. Links to these studies are in the Canola Oil Research Directory

Canola is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for human consumption, including use in infant formula.

Like most crops, canola has many other uses beyond food. Canola oil be used to make environmentally friendly inks, lubricants, soaps, paints, plastics and cosmetics. Oils from olives, corn, soybeans and flax are often used for these same industrial purposes.

One of the newest uses for canola is as a feedstock for making renewable fuels. Canola is increasingly used to produce low-carbon biodiesel, which has the potential to greatly reduce greenhouse gases.

Canola oil’s shelf life at room temperature is about one year. The shelf life of most plant-based cooking oils is similar.

Canola oil has a smoke point of 468˚F. This means it can be used for sautéing and deep frying without fear of the oil smoking or developing significant trans fatty acids when heated at a high temperature. To compare the smoke points of some common cooking oils, refer to the chart below.