Rapeseed for human nutrition - present knowledge and future options

摘要

Rapeseed oil is a nutritionally highly valuable complement of human nutrition recommended unanimously by numerous national and international authorities because of its low content of saturated and high content of n-3 polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Recent observations suggesting a possible relation with prostate disease and risks by heating this commodity by industrial processes or cooking should be pursued and scrutinized in future research. It is worthwile to elaborate further by nutrition research the health attributes of minor compounds (vitamins, poh/phenols, plant sterols among others) of rapeseed. The outstanding antioxidative potential of these constituents harbors a promising perspective for human health. Rapeseed protein is a biologically valuable plant protein with an optima! perspective for human nutrition provided antinutrients impeding protein digestibility will be removed by breeding or food technology. Plant breeding offers numerous options for future usage of rapeseed. Among these is the introduction of very-long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids of the seafish type into rapeseed oil particularly attractive for human health.