Rapeseed oil: what is it, how is it produced and where is it used?

Rapeseed oil is produced from the seeds of the crop under the same name - rapeseed.In most cases, this product is used as food, but, in addition, it has found wide application in cosmetology, as well as in the leather, soap and textile industries. Disputes about the benefits and harms of this oil have not subsided for many years.

Experts believe that rape seed oil was first produced in ancient Mediterranean countries. The first mentions of it are dated from the 4th century. BC e. - then the plant was planted in China and in the countries of the Middle East, and from the XV century. Already AD, it appeared on the European plantations, from which it came to us. The high popularity of the culture is explained simply - the seed is 50% oil, and therefore cultivation and processing of such raw materials is a very profitable occupation.

Nevertheless, until the 1950s, the product was used strictly in industry. This was due to the increased concentration of erucic acid and thioglycosides, which represent a danger to human life and health. In those years, the product was used to create soap, drying oil, skin treatment, but in 1961 a unique variety was first introduced in Canada that contained all these toxic substances in minimal concentrations, absolutely safe for the body. This event was a real revolution in the food industry and the use of rapeseed oil - since then it has been widely used in cooking.

To date, the product occupies the third place in the global production, ahead of it only cotton, as well as soy. This product is obtained by pressing with further processing, while the proportion of thioglycosides in vegetable oils from rape is not more than 3%, and erucic acid is 5%.

A distinctive feature of the product is a pleasant nutty taste and smell, many gourmets often compare it with olive oil, thanks to which it has won a great love of consumers in America, Asian, European countries and even in distant Australia.

Rapeseed is a cruciferous oil plant of the Cruciferous family. This culture is not found in nature in a wild-growing form, but the area of ​​its distribution is great - the plant is cultivated in most eastern countries, as well as in Western and Central Europe, Ukraine, Belarus and, of course, in Canada.

Growing rape does not pose any problems - the plant is very unpretentious, this is precisely what causes its low cost and availability, at the same time, the scale of production only increases from year to year - today approximately 3% of all the cultivated land of the world falls on this crop. The production of rapeseed oil is carried out in accordance with GOST, which determines the procedure for the manufacture of vegetable oils in Russia.

The production process includes several basic steps:

• cleaning of raw materials from garbage and various impurities;
• drying of the product - while the humidity is no more than 8% at the exit;
• pressing seeds;
• settling of the product in a special bunker;
• filtration;
• cooling and bottling packages.

In the process of pressing and squeezing, cake is formed, it is separated from the rest of the mass and put in a separate tank - such production waste is widely used in agricultural engineering and agriculture - it is used to produce nutritious food for cattle and birds.

Depending on the method of processing, rapeseed oil is refined and unrefined. The first is made using the method of cold pressing, the second - hot. Unrefined oil has a shorter shelf life than refined, but retains a significant concentration of essential micro-and macronutrients, as well as vitamins.

And, of course, low-oil oil is emitted - a product in which the dose of a hazardous substance does not exceed 0.5%.

Rapeseed oil has a composition capable of providing the body with essential nutrients. Thus, the intake of the product completely covers the daily need for vitamin E - this amount is contained in all 3 teaspoons of oil. This substance is characterized by exceptional antioxidant properties, due to which the aging process in the human body is significantly slowed down and the age-related changes are reduced. Vitamin E is useful for women, it helps to optimize the activity of the nervous and endocrine systems, and, in addition, is widely used in medical cosmetology.

The oil is rich in balanced types of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which contributes to the normal functioning of the brain, as well as linoleic acid in the product effectively reduces the risk of thrombus formation. A person should receive these substances regularly, otherwise pathologies of the circulatory system may develop. Omega-6 and Omega-3 strengthen the vascular walls, and in addition, normalize the work of the bronchi, strengthen the immune system, slow down the development of pathological inflammatory processes and normalize blood pressure.

Rapeseed oil rather effectively fights excess cholesterol, the components it contains neutralize all the fats harmful to the body and increase their elimination from the human body. Rapeseed oil optimizes metabolism and eliminates toxins and slags.

The product has a high concentration of essential acids - they are very important for the human body, and they accumulate 2 times more in rapeseed than in olives - thanks to this, the use of the product increases the permeability of cell membranes and has pronounced antioxidant characteristics, as well as stimulates the production of prostaglandins - they perform a number of significant functions, including mediator.

This product effectively moisturizes, softens and nourishes the skin, helps to restore it, and therefore is commonly used in dermatology. A sterile product is often used by pharmacists to prepare various injections.

It has been scientifically proven that the product is exceptionally useful for women and contains a natural analogue of estradiol, the basic female sex hormone, and, as a result, helps prevent tumor processes in the cervix and mammary glands.

However, many consumers are afraid to use this product in cooking, and their fears cannot be called unfounded. Some types of oil contain up to 55% erucic acid, which causes serious disruptions in the activity of internal organs, and at the same time it is not excreted from the body, but accumulates in cells and tissues. There are also harmful sulfur-containing components in rapeseed that have rather toxic features - they worsen the functioning of the thyroid gland. But in fairness it should be noted that this applies only to certain varieties - in our time, the type of Kanoda, which does not contain hazardous substances, has been developed, and it is them that are used in cooking.

Rapeseed oil is widely used in the food industry for the preparation of mayonnaise, as well as homemade butter and margarine. In addition, it is used in metallurgy, light industry, medicine and cosmetology.

When deciding on the use inside of rapeseed oil, one should not forget that it cannot be heated to a temperature of more than 150 degrees; therefore, it is never used for frying and baking. With significant heat, the product begins to release dangerous toxins - they can cause significant harm to the body. It is best to buy oil for dressing salads, cooking cold main dishes, all sorts of sauces and cold appetizers.

Manufacturers of baby food often inject rapeseed oil into mashed potatoes and dairy mixes - its use significantly reduces the cost of the product and contributes to its long shelf life. However, scientists around the world tirelessly argue about the feasibility of such components in the diet of children. Proponents of the product claim that its structure includes mineral and nutritional components, which largely contribute to the full growth and physical development of the child, namely:

• vitamins A, E and D, which ensure the normal formation of the musculoskeletal system of a young growing organism, as well as improve eyesight and increase immunity;
• Omega 3/6 fatty acids - they are needed for the full development of the brain and nervous system as a whole;
• mineral substances, such as zinc, calcium, potassium, and also phosphorus, are needed to promote health and maintain the normal functioning of the musculoskeletal system.

Opponents of the oil claim that genetically modified technologies were used to produce a safe product with a minimum content of toxins, since starting from the 90s of the last century, the varietal characteristics of rape were constantly modified and artificially removed, and the effects of GMO on the human body have not yet been studied. because the technology is relatively young, and many side effects manifest themselves only after several years and even decades.

There is a second theory, according to which technologies are used for the manufacture of rapeseed oil, based on the influence of elevated temperatures and various synthetic reagents. In the process of such processing and deodorization, fatty acids are converted to transfat - they are classified as toxic substances. They interfere with the normal metabolism, significantly lower the level of good cholesterol, and the concentration of harmful, on the contrary, increase. Frequent use of trans fats leads to the formation of diabetes and cardiovascular pathologies.

These theories even led to the fact that at the end of the last century in the United States a formal ban was imposed on the use of rapeseed oil in baby food, and the main reason was stunted growth and impaired sexual development of boys and girls in the future. Nowadays, the attitude to this product is pretty “softened”; the majority of scientists from Europe and America have published the latest research that confirms the safety of the product for kids if its concentration does not exceed 30% of the total fatty volume of children's food.

When buying such oil, first you need to make sure that it does not include GMOs, in addition, it is extremely important that the percentage of erucic acid does not exceed 0.6%. The oil should be chosen in a glass container - only in this case you will be able to make sure that it does not have any impurities and has the necessary consistency and color. Oil should have a pleasant yellow shade with a gentle unobtrusive aroma.

If a precipitate is observed in the product - this, as a rule, indicates the beginning of oxidative processes - such a product will be bitter and tasteless. The package should not be labeled "hydrogenated".

In the next video you will find a full review of vegetable oils, including rapeseed.