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Food and Nutrition

Rapeseed Oil - A Healthier Choice

Rapeseed oil is produced from the oilseed rape plant and comes from the same Brassica family as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.

Rapeseed along with linseed are the only oils grown and bottled in the UK. Rapeseed typically has 2 harvests, the ‘winter sown’ varieties in late July and the ‘spring sown’ varieties in late August.

It is light in taste and appearance and is lower in saturated fats than all other vegetable oils. It is made up of a combination of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and it is high in the essential fatty acids linoleic acid (an omega 6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (an omega 3 fatty acid).
These are essential as they cannot be made by the body but are building blocks for other fatty acids.

Rapeseed oil contains plant bioactive compounds thought to have beneficial effects on health including plant stanols and sterols and antioxidants including tocopherol (more commonly known as Vitamin E).  Rapeseed oil also provides vitamin K. For a definition of the nutritional terms, please use the glossary.

The versatility of this healthy oil is recognised by chefs, who value its taste, cooking performance and health benefits. Because of its low content of saturated fat and high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, rapeseed oil is commonly used in cooking and in salad oils, salad dressings, mayonnaise, fats and margarine.

For more information on rapeseed oil and other culinary oils read:
Foster, Williamson & Lunn (2009) Culinary Oils and their Health Effects. Nutrition Bulletin, 34 (4-47). British Nutrition Foundation. London.

 
Click here for some great new recipe ideas using Rapeseed Oil.