Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) belongs to the Brassicaceae family and originated around 10,000 years ago from the spontaneous hybridisation between Brassica rapa L. and Brassica oleracea L. (1).

It is also called Brassica campestris, a version with smaller seeds.

Brassica napus, commonly known as "rapeseed" or "canola," is a plant in the Brassicaceae family, widely cultivated for its seeds, which are a source of edible oil. Originally native to Europe and Asia, Brassica napus is now grown globally due to its versatility and high oil content. The plant is valued for its agricultural benefits, including its role in crop rotation and soil improvement.

Botanical Classification:

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Order: Brassicales
• Family: Brassicaceae
• Genus: Brassica
• Species: Brassica napus

Plant Characteristics:

• Height: Typically grows to a height of 60-150 cm.
• Leaves: The leaves are lobed or pinnate, often forming a rosette at the base. They are green and can vary in shape from narrow to broad.
• Flowers: The flowers are bright yellow, arranged in clusters at the top of the plant. They have four petals arranged in a cross shape, which is characteristic of the Brassicaceae family.
• Fruit: The fruit is a silique, an elongated pod containing numerous small seeds. The seeds are small, round, and typically yellowish or brownish.

Chemical Composition and Structure:

Oils: The seeds contain a high percentage of oil, which includes unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid, linoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid. The oil is used for cooking and in industrial applications.

Glucosinolates: Contains glucosinolates, which can influence flavor and have potential health benefits, including anti-cancer properties.

Proteins and Carbohydrates: Seeds are a good source of protein and carbohydrates, providing essential nutrients and energy.

Vitamins and Minerals: Rich in vitamins E and K, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Cultivation:

• Climate Requirements: Thrives in temperate climates with cool growing seasons. Optimal temperatures range from 10°C to 25°C. It can tolerate light frost.
• Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soils with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. It grows well in loamy soils that are rich in organic matter.
• Irrigation: Requires regular irrigation, particularly in dry periods, to maintain consistent moisture levels. Avoid waterlogging.
• Pruning: Not typically necessary, but can be done to remove damaged or diseased parts of the plant.
• Fertilization: Benefits from balanced fertilization, particularly with nitrogen and phosphorus, to support healthy growth and seed production.

Uses and Benefits:

Culinary Uses: The oil extracted from Brassica napus seeds, known as canola oil, is widely used for cooking due to its neutral flavor and high smoke point. It is also used in food processing and salad dressings.

Nutritional Benefits: Canola oil is low in saturated fats and high in unsaturated fats, including omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for cardiovascular health.

Agricultural Benefits: Brassica napus is often used in crop rotation to improve soil health and reduce soil erosion. It also serves as a cover crop to prevent weed growth.

Applications:

• Food Industry: Canola oil is a common cooking oil and ingredient in processed foods. It is valued for its light flavor and health benefits.
• Industrial Uses: Canola oil is used in various industrial applications, including biodiesel production and as a lubricant.
• Agricultural Sector: The plant is used to improve soil fertility and as a rotational crop in sustainable farming practices.
• Cosmetics

Used in treatments for soaps. hair, nail oils.

INCI Functions:

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.

Environmental and Safety Considerations:

Pesticides and Herbicides: Employ integrated pest management (IPM) practices to minimize pesticide use and promote environmental health.

Climate Adaptation: Well-adapted to temperate climates, but can be cultivated in other regions with appropriate soil and water management.

Sustainable Practices: Utilize sustainable agricultural techniques to enhance soil health, reduce environmental impact, and ensure long-term viability of cultivation.

Studies

Oilseed is the world's third largest oilseed crop, providing around 13% of the world's vegetable oil supply (2), an oil used in industry as a lubricant, in the food sector (where it had a problematic episode in Spain in 1981. Subsequently, in 1991, the European Community established more restrictive lees for food cultivation) and in the oil sector for bio-diesel.

Flavonoids flavonols such as Quecetin, Isorhamnetin, Kaempferol and some epicatechin derivatives are found in rapeseed (3).

Rapeseed oil for cosmetic use is among the cheapest oils on the market and is extracted mechanically and chemically. Rapeseed has a very high oil content, about 40%.

It is referred to as Canola oil or rapeseed oil.

The rapeseed plants Brassica napus, Brassica rapa, Brassica juncea belong to the Brassicaceae family.

The extraction process requires large, specialised plants and goes through these stages :

Cleaning of the oily seed by dedusting and defertilisation by mechanical pressing to ensure a better yield.

• Cold pressing with mechanical extraction of the crude oil.
• Clarification of crude oil by separation from sludge (DIN V 51605).
• Filtering of the clarified oil by microfiltration to 1 micron.
• Storage of the filtered oil in approved tanks.

It contains erucic acid, an acid that can cause toxicity in high doses. However, since 1991, the European Community has established more restrictive cultivation lines for rapeseed, so the amount of this acid in rapeseed oil has drastically decreased. This oil now has a low content of erucic acid (around 2%) as well as glucosinolates.

After soya oil and palm oil, rapeseed oil is the third most popular oil in the world. Due to its composition, which includes tocopherols, sterols and phenolic compounds (synapic acid), it has antioxidant properties.

It appears as a yellow oily liquid or as a white powder with a slight nutty smell.

Typical commercial product characteristics Rapeseed oil

It protects the skin by regulating its water balance and produces a slight anti-ageing effect. This study found that certain protease-only hydrolysis products (Alcalase 2.4L FG, Protex 6L, Protamex and Corolase 7089) exerted antioxidant, anti-wrinkle and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro (4).

References____________________________________________________________________

(1) U N (1935) Genomic analysis in Brassica with special reference to the experimental formation of B. napus and peculiar mode of fertilisation. Jpn J Bot 7: 389–452

(2) . Hajduch M, Casteel JE, Hurrelmeyer KE, Song Z, Agrawal GK, Thelen JJ. Proteomic analysis of seed filling in Brassica napus. Developmental characterization of metabolic isozymes using high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Plant Physiol. 2006 May;141(1):32-46. doi: 10.1104/pp.105.075390. 

Abstract. Brassica napus (cultivar Reston) seed proteins were analyzed at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks after flowering in biological quadruplicate using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Developmental expression profiles for 794 protein spot groups were established and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed 12 different expression trends. Tryptic peptides from each spot group were analyzed in duplicate using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The identity of 517 spot groups was determined, representing 289 nonredundant proteins. These proteins were classified into 14 functional categories based upon the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome classification scheme. Energy and metabolism related proteins were highly represented in developing seed, accounting for 24.3% and 16.8% of the total proteins, respectively. Analysis of subclasses within the metabolism group revealed coordinated expression during seed filling. The influence of prominently expressed seed storage proteins on relative quantification data is discussed and an in silico subtraction method is presented. The preponderance of energy and metabolic proteins detected in this study provides an in-depth proteomic view on carbon assimilation in B. napus seed. These data suggest that sugar mobilization from glucose to acetyl-coenzyme A [corrected] is a collaboration between the cytosol and plastids and that temporal control of enzymes and pathways extends beyond transcription. This study provides a systematic analysis of metabolic processes operating in developing B. napus seed from the perspective of protein expression. Data generated from this study have been deposited into a web database (http://oilseedproteomics.missouri.edu) that is accessible to the public domain. 

(3) Qu C, Fu F, Lu K, Zhang K, Wang R, Xu X, Wang M, Lu J, Wan H, Zhanglin T, Li J. Differential accumulation of phenolic compounds and expression of related genes in black- and yellow-seeded Brassica napus. J Exp Bot. 2013 Jul;64(10):2885-98. doi: 10.1093/jxb/ert148. 

Abstract. Developing yellow-seeded Brassica napus (rapeseed) with improved qualities is a major breeding goal. The intermediate and final metabolites of the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways affect not only oil quality but also seed coat colour of B. napus. Here, the accumulation of phenolic compounds was analysed in the seed coats of black-seeded (ZY821) and yellow-seeded (GH06) B. napus. Using toluidine blue O staining and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, histochemical and biochemical differences were identified in the accumulation of phenolic compounds between ZY821 and GH06. Two and 13 unique flavonol derivatives were detected in ZY821 and GH06, respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed significant differences between ZY821 and GH06 in the expression of common phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes (BnPAL and BnC4H), common flavonoid biosynthetic genes (BnTT4 and BnTT6), anthocyanin- and proanthocyandin-specific genes (BnTT3 and BnTT18), proanthocyandin-specific genes (BnTT12, BnTT10, and BnUGT2) and three transcription factor genes (BnTTG1, BnTTG2, and BnTT8) that function in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. These data provide insight into pigment accumulation in B. napus, and serve as a useful resource for researchers analysing the formation of seed coat colour and the underlying regulatory mechanisms in B. napus.

(4) Rivera D, Rommi K, Fernandes MM, Lantto R, Tzanov T. Biocompounds from rapeseed oil industry co-stream as active ingredients for skin care applications. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2015 Oct;37(5):496-505. doi: 10.1111/ics.12222.