Regular canola

In a recent study by Blair et al. (2000), 167 hypercholesterolemic subjects already being treated with statins added 3 g of plant stanols as esters to then-daily diet. A regular canola oil-based spread was used as a placebo treatment. The placebo reduced semm total and LDL cholesterol concentrations by 5% and 7%, respectively. Adding stanol esters to the spread further reduced total and LDL cholesterol concentrations by an additional 7% and 10%, respectively. Thus, in patients already on statin medication, adding a stanol ester-enriched spread to the diet resulted in a 12% reduction in total cholesterol and a 17% reduction in LDL cholesterol concentrations. 

Note RCO = Regular canola oil HOCO = high oleic canola oil HOLLCO = High oleic, low Unolenic canola oil LLCO = Low linolenic canola oil. 

Fatty acid composition of regular flax oil is different from other commercial oils because of the very high contribution of ALA, usually above 50% (Table 2). Because of the high content of this unique fatty acid, flaxseed and flax oil are often used as food supplements, where enrichment with omega-3 fatty acids is needed. This fatty acid is susceptible to oxidation it oxidizes 20 0 times faster than oleic acid and 2 times faster than linoleic acid (8). This property makes the oil a good material for paint and plastic production where fast oxidation is required. Flax oil contains low amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFA) compared with low linolenic flax oil (Linola), soybean, and sunflower oils however, it is higher than canola oil (Table 2). Canola oil contains the lowest amount of SFA among all commercial oils. 

The fatty acid composition of the new crop has been modified, and the level of linolenic acid has been reduced from over 50% to 2% (6). This greatly improves oxidative stability of the oil, which by fatty acid composition is very close to sunflower and soybean oils (Table 2). Linola has been found to be more resistant to oxidation than regular flax oil, and its stability is comparable with soybean, canola, and sunflower oils (Przybylski, unpublished data). 

As both Sunola crops are special, care must be taken against contamination with traditional sunflower or canola. However, this is rarely the case, as Sunola is grown in northern areas of the United States, where regular sunflower is not grown and in areas of southern Canada that are too hot and dry for the development of canola crops. 

Normand, L., Eskin, N.A.M., and Przybylski, R. 2001. Effect of tocopherols on the frying stability of regular and modihed canola oils, JAOCS, 78(4), 369-373. 

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