High-oleic canola oil

Abstract

The development of canola oil radically changed the landscape of the Canadian Prairies and propelled Canada to the world’s third-largest producer of edible oils. Canola not only proved to be exceptional by its low level of saturated (> 7%) and high level of monounsaturated (60%) fatty acids, but it had a moderate level of the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid (20%) and a high level of the omega-3 fatty acid, linolenic acid (10%). This made canola oil more stable compared with the higher polyunsaturated fatty acid oils, soybean, corn, and sunflower. Once the toxic nature of trans fatty acids was demonstrated in hydrogenated fats used for commercial frying, alternatives were quickly sought that were safer and healthier oils. The presence of high levels of linolenic acids in canola oil, however, made it unsuitable for frying. To improve stability, breeders initially developed low-linolenic acid canola oil varieties, but these were still unsuitable for commercial frying operations. Nevertheless, they were the precursors of high-oleic acid canola oils, in which oleic acid was increased to 75%–80%; linoleic acid, 8.8%–11.0%; and linolenic acid, 2.2%–3.0%. The high-oleic canola oil exhibited excellent stability and rapidly replaced the hydrogenated fat in commercial frying. Breeders subsequently developed low-saturated high-oleic canola oils containing less than 4.5% saturated fatty acids. The low-saturated high-oleic canola oil is used successfully in restaurant frying because of its consistent frying performance. The growing demand for omega-3 fatty acids led breeders to develop a new omega-3-rich high-oleic canola oil containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This chapter covers the health aspects of high-oleic acid canola oil. It is clear that the high-oleic canola oil elicits the same beneficial effects as conventional canola oil by reducing cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease.