Camelina oil or False flax oil is a pressed seed oil, derived from the Camelina sativa or false flax, also called gold of pleasure. False flax has long been grown in Europe, and its oil used as a lamp oil until the 18th century. In recent times, it has been explored for use in cosmetic and skin care products. It has a high content of omega-3 and is used as a food supplement by some cultures. It is registered under the name "" as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed product in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
In the United States the Food and Drug Administration has accepted the oil as self-affirmed GRAS status. False flax belongs to the Brassicaceae (mustard and cabbage) family, which also contains many other seed oil plants, such as rapeseed. Typically it contains 1–3% erucic acid but several Camelina Sativa varieties with erucic acid content of less than 1% have been introduced.
The seeds contain an average of 37% by weight of oil, and contain significant levels of the following fatty acids:
Component Percentage Category Alpha-linolenic (ALA, 18:3) 25.1–31.9% Polyunsaturated, omega-3 Oleic (18:1) 14.3–18.9% Monounsaturated, omega-9 Linoleic (18:2) 18.6–26.3% Polyunsaturated, omega-6 Gondoic (20:1) 12.4–15.3% Monounsaturated, omega-9 Palmitic (16:0) 6.1–7.6% Saturated Erucic (22:1) 2.4–3.4% Monounsaturated, omega-9 Stearic (18:0) 2.3–3.0% Saturated
References
See also
Biodiesel Vegetable oils Rapeseed oil