Description
Rapeseeds
Brassica napus Linnaeus - known as rapeseed and in certain
cultivars, Canola-is a bright yellow flowering member of the
Brassicacea family (mustard or cabbage family). It is a mustard
crop grown primarily for its seed which yields about forty percent
oil and a high-protein animal feed.
Moisture: max. 9.0%
Oil content: min *2%
Admixture: max 2.0%
Eruc acid: max. 2.0%
Glucosinolates: max. *5μmol/gr
Rape seed oil was produced in the *9th century as a source of a
lubricant for steam engines. It was less useful as food for animals
or humans because it has a bitter taste due to high levels of
glucosinates. Varieties have now been bred to reduce the content of
glucosinolates, yielding more palatable oil. This has had the side
effect that the oil contains much less erucic acid.Canola oil comes
from rapeseed.
Rapeseeds grow into important oil plants in China, Canada,
India,France & some other European Countries. Rapeseed, also
called colza, is a member of the Cruciferae family and grows to a
height of *****5 cm. It has yellow flowers, blue-green leaves and
is heavily branched with deep, fibrous taproot. The seeds are
small, round and black-red in colour. As the oil content of
rapeseed is around *3 %, the processing is usually made in two
steps: pre-pressing plus solvent extraction. Sometimes only
deep-pressing is applied.
