The Rape Of Canola

The Rape of Canola is the story of the seed that became the "darling of edible oils." Once regarded as little more than a weed, rape transformed into canola. With stories by the people involved in the process, this book examines the seed, the crop and its processing by large transnational corporations.

Canola is one of the most important oilseed crops of the world, as its production over the last 10 years has grown much faster than any other source of edible vegetable oil. The short history of the food use of canola oil in Western countries has been marked by its GRAS (generally recognized as safe) accreditation by the USFDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) in 1985. Canola Oil is perhaps the only edible vegetable oil that by today's standards is considered to be nutritionally well balanced. Furthermore, its protein meal is well balanced in its amino acid content and perhaps in the not too distant future may commercially be upgraded for human consumption. The present monograph reports the latest advancements in the production, chem istry, analyses, nutritional properties, and commercial processing of canola and rapeseed. Recent developments in the biotechnology of canoIa production and ge netic alterations and improvements of seeds, new methods of analyses, and recent studies to upgrade the canola proteins are presented in 19 chapters. Extensive bib liographies provide the reader with an in-depth and thorough review resource in re lated areas. The monograph will be of interest to advanced undergraduate and graduate stu dents as well as researchers in universities, industries, and government laboratories. Food scientists, crop and agricultural engineers, chemists and biochemists, nutri tionists, and technologists as well as plant breeders will find it a valuable resource base in the latest trends and developments in canola research.

Oilseed rape is a major arable crop in both Europe and North America. It is attacked by unique complexes of insect pests still largely controlled through the application of chemical insecticides. Crop management systems for the future must combine sustainability with environmental acceptability to satisfy both social and economic demands. This book, in its 17 chapters each led by a world expert, reviews research progress towards developing integrated pest management systems for the crop that enhance conservation biocontrol. This approach is particularly timely because of the development in Europe of insecticide resistance in the pollen beetle, a major pest of the crop. The past decade has seen considerable progress in our knowledge of the parasitoids and predators that contribute to biocontrol, of their distribution patterns, and their behavioural ecology, both within and without the crop. There is potential for natural enemy conservation through modification of within-field crop husbandry practices, as well as, on the landscape scale, through habitat manipulation to encourage vegetational diversity. This book will prove invaluable as a text for researchers, university teachers, graduate scientists, extension workers and growers involved in integrated pest management.

"This beautifully illustrated book reviews scientific and technological information about the world's major food plants and their culinary uses. An introductory chapter discusses nutritional and other fundamental scientific aspects of plant foods. The 100 main chapters deal with a particular species or group of species. All categories of food plants are covered, including cereals, oilseeds, fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes, herbs, spices, beverage plants and sources of industrial food extracts. Information is provided on scientific and common names, appearance, history, economic and social importance, food uses (including practical information on storage and preparation), as well as notable curiosities. There are more than 3000 literature citations in the book and the text is complemented by over 250 exquisitely drawn illustrations. Given the current, alarming rise in food costs and increasing risk of hunger in many regions, specialists in diverse fields will find this reference work to be especially useful. As well, those familiar with Dr. Small's books or those with an interest in gardening, cooking and human health in relation to diet will want to own a copy of this book."--Publisher's web site.

The Miracle of Perfect Eyesight The Truth About The Eyes It is said that the eyes are the "windows" of the soul. How clear is your vision? Can you see the world without blurry vision or distortion? The so-called "normal" eye can easily read the 20 foot line on the Snellen Eye Test Chart at 20 feet away--this is called 20-20 vision. There is no limit as to how much one can improve their vision beyond the 20-20 range. Healthy eyes are a marvel of nature''s creation. A person with above average eyesight can easily read the 10 foot line (smallest bottom line on the Snellen Eye Test Chart), at 20 feet away--20-10 vision! I have seen people who can read the 10 foot line at 50 to 60 feet away--60-10 vision. This is called "telescopic vision." There is also no limit to reading small "Microscopic Type Print"--known as "microČscopic vision." There is no limit to how sharp and clear one can see in the distance and close-up. We are all walking, talking, seeing miracles of Great Nature. The sages say human beings are "solidified sunlight," or "trails of light," because our eyesight and our very life is totally dependent on the Solar Orb! We would all become blind without the healing rays of sunlight upon our retina. Sunlight also gives us natural Vitamin D for healthy skin and eyes. The eye training secrets contained in this book have taken me from 20-600 (progressive advanced myopia, or blind without glasses), to better than 20-20 vision. If you practice and are persistent in your eye training, you too can improve vision quickly. Eye Muscles Accommodation: The Mystery Unveiled In order to "see" properly, the eyes must accommodate. Accommodation takes place when focusing on various distances--close and far. Which muscles are doing the focusing during accommodation is debatable among Ophthalmologists. Dr. Helmholtz, an early eye doctor, found that only the "ciliary" eye muscles do the accommoČdating. The Helmholtz Theory is the "accepted belief" of most modern eyeglass doctors. Dr. Bates, a natural eye specialist, felt that the two oblique eye muscles performed eye accommodation by compressing the round eyeball in the middle and making it longer horizontally. Dr. Bates cut these muscles in rabbits and found the eyes could not accommodate. When he injected a drug to paralyze the oblique muscles, the eyes failed to accommodate. When he put together the severed muscles and washed out the drug, the rabbit''s eyes were able to accommodate again. The Helmholtz theory holds that accommodation is due to the expansion and contraction of the crystalline lens, caused by the action of the ciliary muscle. Dr. Bates, through his experiments, discovered and proved that it is not the crystalline lens but the six external muscles that act upon the eyeball and give the eye its ability to adjust and accommodate to near and far objects. The fact that patients who have had the crystalline lens removed are still able to see, and have the power to accommodate, should be convincing proof of this theory. It is obvious both the oblique muscles and the ciliary muscles work in conjunction when focusing. Here is the reason why--the normal eye when looking at a distant object becomes shortened, and when looking at a close object is elongated. The external muscles--oblique, recti, iris and the ciliary muscles all enable the eyes to accommodate properly. The external muscles lengthen and shorten the eyeball to enable light rays to fall upon the macula. The iris adjusts the pupil for the amount of light necessary to see clearly. And the ciliary muscle contracts the lens to focus upon the object. The ciliary muscle changes the lens and directs the rays of light to focus upon the macula or center of sight. While looking at a distant object of more than twenty feet away, the rays come into the eyes parallel. When looking at a close point rays come into the eyes at an angle. The normal eye must accommodate these rays in order to see clearly a close or distant point. All rays fro

This book gives a complete picture of the canola crop including its history, botany, genetics, distribution, breeding and biotechnology, production, processing, composition, nutritional properties and utilization of the seed, oil and meal, as well as an economic profile. While the main focus in this book is on canola of Canadian origin, its cousin crop oilseed rape will also be discussed to a lesser extent. The work provides up-to-date information on the crop and highlights areas where research and development is either needed or is in process. Provides extensive information on the canola plant, including breeding, genetic engineering for trait development, and seed morphology and composition Editors and contributors are global leaders in canola research and application Offers a comprehensive overview of canola oil and meal composition, nutrition, and utilization