ABSTRACT
Erucic acid is a mono unsaturated fatty acid with 22 carbon atoms. It is present in the seeds and seed oils of the plants of Brassicaceae family and is considered as an anti-nutritional factor. Triglycerides with erucic acid on digestion releases erucic acid, which is assimilated in the blood stream and then distributed to the tissues for energy derivation through β-oxidation. However, β-oxidation of erucic acid in cardiac or other muscles is low resulting in accumulation of fat in heart muscles, leading to heart diseases and myocardial lesions in the heart. This has resulted in limiting the level of erucic acid in edible oils to 2% or less by regulatory agencies in many countries, including the European Food Safety Authority. Erucic acid can be identified and quantified using Chromatographic methods like Gas Chromatography. There is need to replace traditional cultivars of mustard, rapeseed which have high erucic content with newly bred cultivars with erucic acid content of 2% or less.
