Is Canola Oil Gluten Free?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grain crops as Wikipedia states. It is a composite of glutenin and gliadin. Some people suffer from abnormal reactions to gliadin, that’s why gluten is harmful for people suffering from celiac disease. 

What is canola oil?

According to Wikipedia canola oil is edible oil made from the canola plant, a cultivar of rapeseed. Canola plant comes from the Brassica family. Cauliflower, cabbages and broccoli are from this same family too. So canola oil is vegetable oil.  Canola was cultivated from rapeseed in Canada in the 1970s. Rapeseed is high in erucic acid which makes it toxic for people. Canadian breeders have grown a variety of rapeseed with a low (less 2%) content of erucic acid and called it Canola (Canadian oil low acid). The United States Food and Drug Administration admits that canola oil is safe for human consumption. The canola plant itself is gluten free. But why is canola oil gluten free and sometimes causes adverse reaction in people suffering from celiac disease?

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Possible cross-contamination 

Canola oil without any additives is gluten-free, but sometimes canola oil is mixed with other oils or flavored that can cause a risk of contamination with gluten.

The canola plant often grows together with some wheat plants, because the fields it is grown on were used for wheat before. Some individuals believe that that is the reason why canola oil acquires the features of gluten-present oil. However, canola seeds differ greatly in size from wheat kernels. When canola seeds are delivered to the processing plant, all wheat kernels are removed. Moreover, all canola oil is tested to prove that there is no detectable protein in it.

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Concerns

Although canola oil is considered gluten-free some people admit that they have a reaction to canola oil. That’s why caution should be taken if you suffer from celiac disease and want to consume canola oil.