Canola oil comes from the seeds of the canola plant, a member of the mustard family that was bred in Canada during the 1970s. The plant is a specific variety of rapeseed (Brassica napus) that was developed to be safe for human consumption, and the name “canola” is short for “Canadian oil, low acid.” Today, Canada remains the world’s largest producer, growing about 22 million metric tons of canola seed per year.
The Plant Behind the Oil
Canola belongs to the Brassicaceae family, the same botanical family as broccoli, cabbage, and mustard. The species, Brassica napus, has been cultivated for centuries under names like rapeseed, colza, and oilseed rape. Traditional rapeseed oil contained high levels of erucic acid, a fatty acid that raised health concerns in animal studies. That made the oil unsuitable for cooking and eating.
In the 1970s, Canadian plant breeders solved this problem through conventional crossbreeding. They created “double-low” varieties that had less than 2% erucic acid in the oil and greatly reduced levels of glucosinolates (bitter, sulfur-containing compounds) in the leftover seed meal. The first of these cultivars, called “Tower,” was released in 1974, followed by “Candle” in 1977. By 1978, “canola” was officially adopted as the name for these new edible varieties, distinguishing them from industrial rapeseed. The term started as a trademark but is now a generic name used worldwide.
Where Canola Grows Today
Canada leads global production at roughly 23% of the world’s supply. The European Union follows closely at 21%, then China at 17%, India at 13%, and Australia at 8%. The Canadian prairies, particularly Saskatchewan and Alberta, are the heartland of canola farming. The plant thrives in cool climates with moderate rainfall, which is why northern latitudes dominate production. In warmer regions like India, related Brassica species fill a similar role.
From Seed to Bottle
A canola seed is small, round, and roughly 40-45% oil by weight. Getting that oil out involves several steps, starting with crushing the seeds and ending with a refined, neutral-tasting cooking oil.
Extraction
Most commercial canola oil is extracted using a solvent called hexane. The seeds are first cleaned, then crushed or flaked to break open their cell walls. The crushed material is mixed with hexane, which dissolves the oil out of the seed. The hexane is then evaporated and recovered for reuse, leaving crude canola oil behind. A smaller portion of canola oil is produced by cold pressing, where seeds are physically squeezed in a press to force the oil out without chemicals. Cold-pressed canola oil retains more of the seed’s natural flavor and color but yields less oil per batch.
Refining
Crude canola oil goes through several refining stages before it reaches store shelves. First, water and a mild acid are added to remove gums, which are naturally occurring phospholipids. Next comes bleaching, where the oil is passed through clay (typically bentonite) or activated carbon to strip out pigments and impurities. The final step is deodorizing: the oil is heated to temperatures between 180 and 240°C while steam passes through it under vacuum pressure. This removes volatile compounds that would give the oil an off taste or smell. The result is the pale yellow, mild-flavored oil most people recognize.
Cold-pressed canola oil skips most of these steps, which is why it has a deeper color and a slightly nutty, grassy flavor compared to refined versions.
What Makes Canola Oil Nutritionally Distinct
Canola oil’s fat profile is one of the reasons it became so popular after its development. It contains about 7% saturated fat, which is lower than almost any other common cooking oil. The majority of its fat, around 62%, is oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat found in olive oil. The remaining fat is split between omega-6 (about 19%) and omega-3 (about 9%) polyunsaturated fats. That omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of roughly 2:1 is unusually balanced for a cooking oil. Most seed oils, like soybean or corn oil, skew heavily toward omega-6.
What Happens to the Rest of the Seed
Oil extraction uses less than half the canola seed by weight. The leftover solid material, called canola meal, contains 35-40% protein and is widely used as livestock feed for cattle, poultry, and pigs. Newer high-protein varieties push that number to around 45%. This dual purpose, oil for humans and protein-rich feed for animals, makes canola one of the more economically efficient oilseed crops. Very little of the plant goes to waste.