Effect of heat treatments on canola press oils. I. Non- triglyceride components

Phytosterol, Tocopherol and Carotenoid Retention during Commercial Processing of Brassica napus (Canola) Oil

Brassica napus (canola) seed is a rich source of phytosterols, tocopherols and carotenoids, which all have recognized health benefits, although these are reduced or lost during crude oil refinement. Many studies are now outdated, so new research to monitor bioactive retention through current processing techniques is warranted. In this work, canola seed, in-process seed, and oil samples were collected from the major stages of five commercial canola oil processes. Analysis of phytosterols, tocopherols and carotenoids indicated seed pre-treatment enhanced bioactive concentrations in the crude oil. Although the bleaching step in each process eliminated all carotenoids, high concentrations of phytosterols and tocopherols remained in the refined oil across all processes, with losses notably lower than those found in previous reports. Moreover, crude oil samples from a two-stage cold pressing process showed greatly enriched concentrations of tocopherols (+122%), sterols (+140%) and carotenoids (+217%). The results show that modern Australian canola oil processing retains high phytosterol and tocopherol concentrations and warrants further investigation into bioactive enrichment strategies. Given the growing interest in health-enhanced foods, this study provides opportunities for nutrition and health-enhanced oil products and the potential for adding value in the edible oil industry.

Canolol Dimer, a Biologically Active Phenolic Compound of Edible Rapeseed Oil

Rapeseed and its oil are the source of many biologically active substances. From crude rapeseed oil, canolol is isolated and from edible oil its dimer. Herein, we tested the biological activity of those two compounds isolated from the oils by determining their antioxidant capacity and in vitro cytotoxicity on human tumor cell lines. Canolol and its dimer showed antiproliferative activity on both cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 46.45 μM in HeLa, and 51.19 μM in MCF7 cells, respectively. Evaluation of cell death was also done, while the oxygen radical absorbance capacity method confirmed that the canolol dimer has higher antioxidant potential than canolol. Stability of canolol and its dimer under different storage conditions showed that for a longer period of time both compounds should be stored in a freezer, but also that the dimer is more stable against degradation than canolol. Presented results indicate possible applications of canolol and its dimer in the food and pharmaceutical industry as a natural antioxidant and an anticancer agent, respectively.

Influence of de-hulled rapeseed roasting on the physicochemical composition and oxidative state of oil

The effect of roasting time on the contents of bioactive compounds (tocopherols, phytosterols, phenolic compounds), antioxidant capacity and physicochemical properties of rapeseed oil pressed from de-hulled seeds was investigated. The de-hulled seeds were roasted at a temperature of 165 °C for 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 min. The results of this study show that a roasting pre-treatment led to a gradual increase in canolol content (from 1.34 to 117.33 mg/100 g), total phytosterols (from 573.51 to 609.86 mg/100 g) and total carotenoids (0.82 to 2.41 mg/100 g), while only slight changes in the contents of tocopherols were noted. With the increase in roasting time a gradual increase in oxidative stability (from 4.27 to 6.85 h), and antioxidant capacity, seen mainly in the hydrophilic fraction of oil (from 0.32 to 2.30 mmol TEAC/l) was found. Although roasting resulted in the formation of primary and secondary oxidation products, the quality parameters of oils were within Codex Alimentarius limits.

Effect of microwave treatment on the efficacy of expeller pressing of Brassica napus rapeseed and Brassica juncea mustard seeds

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of microwave heating on the efficacy of expeller pressing of rapeseed and mustard seed and the composition of expeller meals in two types of Brassica napus rapeseed (intermediate- and low-glucosinolate) and in Brassica juncea mustard (high-glucosinolate). Following microwave treatment, the microstructure of rapeseed using transmission electron microscopy showed a significant disappearance of oil bodies and myrosin cells. After 6 min of microwave heating (400 g, 800 W), the oil content of rapeseed expeller meal decreased from 44.9 to 13.5% for intermediate-glucosinolate B. napus rapeseed, from 42.6 to 11.3% for low-glucosinolate B. napus rapeseed, and from 44.4 to 14.1% for B. juncea mustard. The latter values were much lower than the oil contents of the corresponding expeller meals derived from the unheated seeds (i.e., 26.6, 22.6, and 29.8%, respectively). Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents showed no differences except for the expeller meal from the intermediate-glucosinolate B. napus rapeseed, which increased from 22.7 to 29.2% after 6 min of microwave heating. Microwave treatment for 4 and 5 min effectively inactivated myrosinase enzyme of intermediate-glucosinolate B. napus rapeseed and B. juncea mustard seed, respectively. In low-glucosinolate B. napus rapeseed the enzyme appeared to be more heat stable, with some activity being present after 6 min of microwave heating. Myrosinase enzyme inactivation had a profound effect on the glucosinolate content of expeller meals and prevented their hydrolysis to toxic breakdown products during the expelling process. It appeared evident from this study that microwave heating for 6 min was an effective method of producing expeller meal without toxic glucosinolate breakdown products while at the same time facilitating high yield of oil during the expelling process.

Process-induced changes in edible oils

Lipids are one of the main dietary components that serve several functions in foods and nutrition. They could be endogenous or deliberately included in food. The basic molecules of lipids undergo different chemical reactions during refining, processing and storage. Some of these chemical reactions enhance the usage and functionality of food lipids. This chapter discusses the chemical changes of lipids during various processing operations. Specific changes in the minor constituents of lipids are also included.