Erucic acid

Erucic acid is a 22-carbon monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found especially in rapeseed and mustard oils. Its high abundance in traditional rapeseed varieties led to low-erucic cultivars for food use.

Fatty acid: A molecule with a hydrocarbon chain and a carboxyl group, serving as a component of fats and oils. Erucic acid belongs to this molecular family and shares its defining carboxyl-ended chain.
Canola: Edible oil and seed produced by cultivars of rapeseed bred for low erucic acid and low glucosinolate content. Canola standards limit erucic acid in the oil, distinguishing it from traditional high-erucic rapeseed oil.
Low-erucic acid rapeseed: Rapeseed bred to produce oil with very low erucic acid content. Breeding these varieties reduced dietary exposure while preserving rapeseed as an edible-oil crop.
Fatty acid elongation: A set of enzyme-mediated reactions that lengthen fatty-acid chains by adding two-carbon units. Elongation of shorter fatty-acid precursors produces the 22-carbon chain of erucic acid.
Monounsaturated fat: A fat whose fatty-acid chains contain one carbon–carbon double bond. Erucic acid has one double bond, which distinguishes it from saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Rapeseed oil: Vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of Brassica crops, including high-erucic and low-erucic varieties. Traditional rapeseed oil is a major dietary and industrial source of erucic acid.
Erucic acid regulation: Legal limits on erucic acid concentrations in foods and oils, which vary across jurisdictions and product categories. Regulatory limits translate toxicological concerns about erucic acid into standards for food products.
Very-long-chain fatty acid: A fatty acid with a carbon chain typically longer than 20 atoms. Erucic acid’s 22-carbon chain places it among very-long-chain fatty acids.
Omega-9 fatty acid: An unsaturated fatty acid whose first double bond is nine carbon atoms from the methyl end. Erucic acid’s omega-9 designation specifies the position of its single double bond.
Mustard oil: Oil obtained from mustard seeds, often rich in erucic acid depending on the species and cultivar. Some mustard oils contain substantial erucic acid, prompting attention to regional food regulations.

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