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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #414995
Research Project: Farm to Table Factors: Impact of Production, Processing, and Preparation on Food Composition

Location: Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory

Title: Longitudinal cohort study of canola composition demonstrates changes in the climate and the food system are decreasing the essential fatty acid content of canola

Author
item Bukowski, Michael
item Goslee, Sarah
item BARTHET, VÉRONIQUE - Canadian Grain Commission

Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/21/2024
Publication Date: 1/6/2025
Citation: Bukowski, M.R., Goslee, S.C., Barthet, V.J. 2025. Longitudinal cohort study of canola composition demonstrates changes in the climate and the food system are decreasing the essential fatty acid content of canola. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 121(2):304-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.11.021.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.11.021

Interpretive Summary: Our bodies can not make essential fatty acids, we must get them from our diets. Most Americans get their essential fatty acids form vegetable oils like canola oil, which are used as ingredients in the food supply. Using data from Canada, the world's leading canola exporter, we demonstrate that increasing temperatures during growth are resulting in the reduction of essential fatty acids in the global canola supply.

Technical Abstract: Background Canola oil represents a vital source of essential fatty acids (EFA), linoleic (LA), and a-linolenic acid (ALA). In assessing EFA intake, clinicians and nutritionists consult food composition databases; however, nutritional composition data may not reflect changes in food composition due to environmental factors. As the leading global exporter, Canada annually monitors canola quality in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta using the Canadian Grain Commission’s Harvest Sample Program, providing a geographical cross-section of canola composition which may provide empirical evidence for changes in EFA content for canola oil. Objective Use fatty acid composition data from 2010 to 2022 to determine 1) regional variability, 2) temporal variability, and 3) estimate how much of the observed variability can be related to differences growth temperature. Method Using the Harvest Sample Program and contemporaneous climate data, we constructed a model relating EFA composition with mean daytime high temperatures during flowering and seed development. Results Data for this cohort showed the average mean ALA content decreased from 9.93 ± 0.78 mass % (average mean± standard deviation) to 8.16 ± 0.46 mass %, with a concomitant increase in oleic acid. LA content was less variable, with a maximum of 19.21 ± 0.52 mass % in 2012 and a minimum of 18.06 ± 0.32 mass % in 2022. LA and ALA content are negatively correlated to daytime high temperature. Conclusion Compared our observations to publicly available food composition databases, the observed systemic changes in fatty acid composition from the field can be detected on grocery store shelves.