Crambe and Rapeseed Oils as Energy Sources for Rats and Chicks and Some Ancillary Data on Organ Weights and Body Cavity Fat Composition

Abstract

GENERAL interest in new oil seed crops has increased during the past decade as exemplified by the work of Bruun and Matchett (1963) with Crambe abyssinica. The search has been directed toward finding seeds which contain unique oils suitable for industrial use and which are noncompetitive with crops now in production. The oil obtained from Crambe abyssinica has been found useful as a mold lubricant for the continuous casting of steel. Oxidative cleavage of erucic acid, a major component of this oil, by ozone yields chiefly brassylic acid, which is used as an intermediate in the production of synthetic fibers. Chemically, erucic acid is cis-13-docosenoic acid [CH3(CH2)7 CH = CH(CH2)11 COOH], molecular weight 338.56. Interest has been developing in the possible use of crambe oil as a constituent of feeds and food products. Crambe oil is attractive to potential users in the food industry because of its 90–95% unsaturated fatty acid content.…