After decades of focused research, the novel canola crop containing long chain omega-3 (LCO3) (docosahexaenoic (DHA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosapentaenoic, (DPA)) fatty acids has been developed by Cargill-BASF to address an approaching fish oil supply limitation and demand for its sustainable alternative. Based on application: aquaculture, feed or food, there is a need for a variety of DHA/EPA/DPA containing canola oils products from expeller pressed to fully refined oils. Focus of this report was on novel canola seed and oil processing, pressed and refined oil quality including DHA/EPA/DPA % retention after deodorization. Oils from novel seeds have been produced following common canola industry processing steps at pilot and small production scale and then characterized for oxidative stability, fatty acid composition and natural antioxidants content. LCO3 canola oils contained >15% omega-3, >30% omega-9, and 8% saturated fatty acids. Novel oils had desirable 1:2.3 omega-3:omega-6 ratio and typical for canola oils >800 ppm tocopherols. Series of experiments have been conducted to optimize deodorization conditions to achieve target oil quality, tocopherols and over 94% LCO3 retention from pressed to fully refined oils. Pressed or crude oil quality DHA/EPA/DPA containing canola oils have been successfully used for aquaculture applications in salmon, trout and shrimp feeding trials. Fully refined LCO3 canola oils were tested in food applications to achieve nutritional targets and functional performance. The novel canola oil (Latitude®) opened unique opportunities for product developers as a sustainable source of LCO3 fatty acids and fish oil substitute for food and feed applications.
