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Canola/oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) production in Canada has increased to become a foundational crop in the Canadian Prairies and an important economic driver of this region. The increase in seeded area, and by association its reduction in‐crop rotation frequency, has made it easier for pests to overcome current recommended agronomic management practices. The Canola Council of Canada has been successful in involving the entire commodity value chain in promoting and strengthening the Canadian canola industry; however, because of this production increase it is critically important to understand, evaluate and mitigate the potential risks of canola yield losses to current and potential pests. This Perspective provides an overview of what are currently the most damaging insects, pathogens and weeds to canola in the Canadian Prairies, potential future threats and opportunities farmers, agronomists and researchers can take to minimize these risks. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding a fast, reliable, and reproducible approach for an accurate analysis of complex lipid mixtures of emulsifiers is crucial for the food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, cosmetics, and agrochemicals industries. In the current study, a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy analysis of a high monoester mixture of soybean oil (HMMS) was conducted using 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR of 2‐chloro‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaphospholane (CTDP) derivatives. The HMMS was produced by enzymatic alcoholysis of soybean oil and 1.2‐propanediol in a supercritical CO2 system. Compositional distribution analysis, quantified by aliphatic carbons with 13C NMR, showed that HMMS is composed of more unsaturated fatty acids, comprised of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (60 ± 1.1%) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (22 ± 0.8%), than saturated fatty acids (18 ± 0.9%). The 31P NMR quantification of HMMS demonstrated that, out of the total amount of monoacylglycerols (MAG), they are composed of 21 ± 2.9% of 2‐MAG and 4 ± 0.3% of 1‐MAG. Among the three techniques, 31P NMR spectroscopy proved to be a practical methodology with high reproducibility for the precise detection and quantification of partially esterified glycerols and free fatty acids in complex lipid mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly clear that North Americans prefer dietary approaches to enhance health in favour of pharmaceutical approaches. Although the incorporation of phytosterols (PS) into various food matrices has been effective in lowering cholesterol, the lipid-lowering potential of PS-enriched soymilk has not been investigated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the lipid-lowering efficacy of a PS-enriched soymilk beverage in comparison to a 1% dairy milk control. Twenty-three hypercholesterolemic subjects consumed 3 tetrapacks per day of a PS-enriched soy beverage (1.95g PS/d) or a 1% dairy milk control. The study was conducted as a 28 d controlled dietary intervention according to a two-period cross-over design. Total cholesterol was reduced by 12% (P< 0.0001) in the PS-enriched soymilk group (5.59±0.27 mmol/L) in comparison to the milk control (6.28±0.27 mmol/L). PS-enriched soymilk consumption did not affect HDL cholesterol concentrations but did reduce (P<0.0001) LDL cholesterol by 16% compared to the control group (3.60 vs. 4.20 mmol/L). Plasma triglyceride concentration was reduced (P =0.02) by 9.4% in response to the PS-enriched soy beverage in comparison to the milk control. We conclude that consumption of a PS-enriched soy beverage is an effective dietary strategy to reduce circulating lipid levels in hypercholesterolemic individuals. Supported by WhiteWave Foods Company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]