Erucic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in rapeseed, mustard, and almond seeds. Large amounts can cause heart damage, but it is used to make lubricants, cosmetics, and biodiesel. Lorenzo’s oil, made from erucic and oleic acid, is used to treat adrenoleukodystrophy.
Erucic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. It is known as monounsaturated because it has only one double-bonded carbon atom in its fatty acid chain. The term omega-9 refers to a group of fatty acids, including erucic and oleic acid, that have their carbon double bond in the ninth position from the end of their acid chains. This is known as the n-9 position.
The main sources of this acid include rapeseed, mustard and almond seeds. In all these plants, erucic acid makes up 40 to 50% of their oils. Ingestion of large amounts of this acid has been linked to heart damage. Due to health concerns, a strain of rapeseed known as canola was developed, which had a low acid volume.
Two strains of rapeseed are still cultivated. One is Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed (LEAR), and the other is High Erucic Acid Rapeseed (HEAR). LEAR is used in food production and HEAR is mainly used to create a slip agent for plastics production.
This acid is not soluble in water, but it dissolves in methanol and ethanol. It is used to make a wide range of chemicals. Products produced with erucic acid include lubricants, cosmetics, nylon, and polyester. It is also a component in biodiesel, a vegetable-based fuel source.
The term ‘erucic’ comes from the Latin eruca. This is a genus of plants in the Brassicaceae family, all of which flower. This acid is found naturally in many green plants in this family, as well as rapeseed and mustard. Kale, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli are also natural sources of the acid.
Studies have shown that large amounts of erucic acid fed to animals can cause fatty deposits to infiltrate the walls of the heart. For this reason, oils rich in this acid are no longer used for cooking in many parts of the world. The European Union has banned the use of mustard oil in cooking food products. The most recent scientific data suggests that the potential damage done to the heart by this acid may be transient rather than permanent.
A mixture of two fatty acids, erucic and oleic, was used to create Lorenzo’s oil, which is used to treat adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). ALD is an inherited disorder that causes adrenal gland failure, brain damage, and death. The triglyceride forms of these two acids, in a four-to-one ratio of oleic to erucic acid, were used to treat the young Lorenzo Odone in the 1980s. In long-term studies, oil of Lorenzo has positive effects for the disease.
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