Thermostable rapeseed oil

Context

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is the world’s third-largest source of vegetable oil, with the residual protein-rich meal used as feed for livestock. Rapeseed oil is considered a healthy oil because it is low in saturated fatty acids. But it is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which results in poor thermal stability. The production of low-carbon nitrogen fertilizer (produced using renewable electricity rather than natural gas) enables the development of rapeseed to produce sustainable, non-toxic and biodegradable substitutes for minerals. 

The research

Our research focuses on the key limitation of rapeseed oil for industrial applications: its thermal instability. The main focus has been reducing the content of polyunsaturated fatty acid in a directed way, based on our knowledge of lipid biosynthesis pathways.

The impact from this area is being delivered through a start-up company, Nuspec Oil Ltd.