Unconventional Oilseeds and Oil Sources

Oilseed crops have been the backbone of agricultural economy from ancient time. The oil content of the seed varies from 44 to 50 per cent, depending on the varieties and agronomic conditions. While there are many uses for industrial vegetable oils, total world production is only about 3% of that of edible oils. Fats and oils are essential nutrients, comprising about 40% of the calories in the diet. Edible vegetable oils, margarine, and shortening are used food applications. These products supplement or replace animal products (e.g., butter and lard), supplies of which are inadequate to meet the needs of an increasing world population. On the other side, oilseed meals are rich in protein; mixed with other ingredients (e.g., cereal grains), they provide nutritionally balanced feeds. Unconventional Oilseeds and Oil Sources covers chapters on various aspects of this issue, with a particular focus on canola crops and the oil produced from them. Other chapters cover oil presses, sesame seeds and oilseed pests, as well as the nitrogen efficiency of oilseed rape. This volume is concerned with oilseeds crops, contributed made by worldwide authors on potential topics including crop management, genetics and breeding, genomics and biotechnology, plant protection, quality and nutrition of seed oils, biofuels, and economics. Oilseeds are expected to play an increasing role in future food supply. Even though the species are diverse, interestingly there are many varieties which possess potentials for food production. Various seeds are generally rich in lipids and provide the major part of oil and fat needs of the populations. The study of many alternative and novel uses of oilseeds further enhances the value of this resource for researchers, policy makers, food scientists, plant breeders, product development personnel, government agency personnel, and all those involved in the production, transportation, distribution and processing of oilseeds.