Canola 

Canola includes seed from Brassica napus and B. rapa with low levels of glucosinolates in the meal and a low concentration of erucic acid as described by the Canola Council of Canada. Canola meal, or flour, is the by-product of the seed after oil has been extracted either physically or by solvent extraction. Canola seed must conform to the Trading Standards listed in the Australian Oilseed Federation’s “Quality and Trading Standards” which describe moisture, oil content, crude protein and fibre, seed damage and admixture (Table 1). The meal, in particular, must contain less than 30 μmols /g of aliphatic glucosinolate in the oil-free meal (Canola Council of Canada).

Canola Meal Processing
The process of separating oil from canola seed involves several steps. The by-product, referred to as the meal or flour component, is utilized for stockfeed. Although the initial physical extraction of oil from the meal is common to all crushing plants, there are alternatives to processing to reach the final product. These include:

• Cold-pressed – where the oil and meal is physically separated without heat
• Expeller – where the oil and meal is physically extracted with added heat
• Solvent extracted – where the oil and meal is extracted with the combined physical “expeller” extraction followed by solvent washing

The solvent extraction method results in more efficient extraction of the oil and produces a meal with less than 1% oil residue. Expeller and solvent extraction use different amounts of heat which may alter characteristics in the meal. Cold-pressed and expeller meals can contain 8-12% oil and are processed generally at moderate temperatures of <60oC although this can be considerably higher. Each method of extraction results in slightly different characteristics in the meal. Glucosinolates and their volatile by-products would normally be lower in heat treated and solvent extracted meal. For more information please click here