Oil of Colza.

Oil of Colza.—An oil expressed from the seed of Brassica campestris L., or field cabbage, a cruciferous plant which grows wild throughout the greater part of Europe, and is largely cultivated in France and Germany for the sake of this oil. Colza oil is used in Europe as a burning oil, as a lubricating oil, and, after purification by heating with starch, as a table oil. The raw oil has a sp. gr. of 0.915, and the refined oil 0.9136. Chilled to -4° C. (24.8° F.), stearin separates out, and at -6° C. (21.2° F.), it becomes a yellowish buttery mass. The oil contains the glycerides of stearic, erucic (or brassic) acid, C₂₂H₄₂O₂, and an acid isomeric with, but differing in some respects from, ordinary oleic acid. A similar oil is derived from rape-seed (Brassica napus.. The total consumption of rape and colza oil in Europe is estimated at from 280,000 to 300,000 tons per annum. For analysis of commercial samples, see C. D., 1894, 140.

The Dispensatory of the United States of America, 1918, was edited by Joseph P. Remington, Horatio C. Wood and others.