WINNIPEG, March 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Before you make a major purchase, you find out as much as you can about the item you want to buy. Customers of Canadian canola are no different. For their purchasing decisions, they may use the Canadian Grain Commission's annual harvest quality report. The 2011 harvest quality report for western Canadian canola is now available at www.grainscanada.gc.ca.
"The 2011 canola crop was of a fairly high quality. Of the 1749 samples we analyzed, 87.8% were graded as No. 1," explains Véronique Barthet, Program Manager of Oilseeds for the Canadian Grain Commission's Grain Research Laboratory.
Researchers looked at these quality parameters:
- Oil content
- Protein content
- Chlorophyll content
- Glucosinolate content
- Free fatty acid composition
Harvest quality reports are used to market Canadian canola to domestic and export customers. Quality data describe to export customers how Canadian canola will perform in various end-use products. For example, a crushing plant would be interested in the oil content of Canadian canola. A tonne of canola seed with higher oil content will be more profitable than a tonne of canola seed with lower oil content because the crusher is able to extract more oil from the higher oil content seed for the same processing cost.
The Canadian Grain Commission is the federal agency responsible for establishing and maintaining Canada's grain quality standards. Its programs result in shipments of grain that consistently meet contract specifications for quality, safety and quantity. The Canadian Grain Commission regulates the grain industry to protect producers' rights and ensure the integrity of grain transactions.
Véronique Barthet
Program Manager, Oilseeds
Canadian Grain Commission
Telephone: 204-984-5174
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