Originally posted by alexkusu:
can u enlighten me on this? or issit a typo?
Picture 1 : Rapeseed seed
Extract from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed
Rapeseed Brassica napus,
also known as Rape, Oilseed Rape, Rapa, Rapaseed and (one
particular cultivar) Canola, is a bright yellow flowering member of
the family Brassicaceae.
The name is derived through Old English from a term for turnip,
rapum (see Brassica
napobrassica, which may be considered a cultivar of Brassica napus) .
Some botanists include the closely related Brassica campestris within
B. napus
Cultivation and Uses:
It is very widely cultivated throughout the world for the
production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and
biodiesel; leading producers include the European Union, Canada,
the United States, Australia, China and India. In India, it is
grown on 13% of cropped land.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, rapeseed
was the third leading source of vegetable oil in the world in 2000,
after soybean and oil palm, and also the world's second leading
source of protein meal, although only one-fifth of the production
of the leading soybean meal.
The FAO reports that 36 million tonnes of rapeseed was produced in
2003. In Europe, rapeseed is primarily cultivated for animal feed
(due to its very high lipid and medium protein content), and is a
leading option for Europeans to avoid importation of GMO
products.
Natural rapeseed oil contains erucic acid, which is mildly toxic to
humans in large doses but is used as a food additive in smaller
doses.
Canola is one of many selected cultivars of rapeseed bred to have a
low erucic acid content. Canola was developed in Canada and its
name is a contraction of "Canadian oil, low acid".
The name was also chosen partly for marketing reasons, so
successfully that the name is sometimes mis-applied to other
cultivars of rapeseed.
The rapeseed is the valuable, harvested component of the crop. The
crop is also grown as a winter-cover crop. It provides good
coverage of the soil in winter, and limits nitrogen run-off. The
plant is ploughed back in the soil or used as bedding.
Processing of rapeseed for oil production provides rapeseed animal
meal as a by-product. The by-product is a high-protein animal feed,
competitive with soya. The feed is mostly employed for cattle
feeding, but also for pigs and chickens (though less valuable for
these). The meal has a very low content of the glucosinolates
responsible for metabolism disruption in cattle and pigs.
Rapeseed leaves are also edible, similar to those of the related
kale. Some varieties of rapeseed are sold as greens, primarily in
Asian groceries.
Rapeseed is a heavy nectar producer, and honeybees produce a light
colored, but peppery honey from it. It must be extracted
immediately after processing is finished, as it will quickly
granulate in the honeycomb and will be impossible to extract. The
honey is usually blended with milder honeys, if used for table use,
or sold as bakery grade. Rapeseed growers contract with beekeepers
for the pollination of the crop.
Picture 2 : Rapeseed in yellow flower
Biodiesel from rapeseed oil of Turkish origin as an
alternative fuel
http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=588683
Review: Utilization of Rapeseed Oil, Rapeseed Oil Methyl
Ester or Diesel Fuel
- Exhaust Gas Emissions and Estimation of Environmental
Effects
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ro_rev.html
