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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bio-oils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408178
Research Project: Versatile Biobased Products with Multiple Functions

Location: Bio-oils Research

Title: Characterization, physical properties, and potential industrial applications of high oleic pennycress oil

Author
item Winfield, Demichael
item Dunn, Robert - Bob
item Moser, Jill
item Cermak, Steven - Steve
item MARKS, M - University Of Minnesota

Submitted to: Industrial Crops and Products
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/16/2024
Publication Date: 1/18/2024
Citation: Winfield, D.D., Dunn, R.O., Moser, J.K., Cermak, S.C., Marks, M.D. 2024. Characterization, physical properties, and potential industrial applications of high oleic pennycress oil. Industrial Crops and Products. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.118095.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.118095

Interpretive Summary: Field pennycress is a cover crop that can be grown and harvested in-between corn and soybean seasons. The use of this cover crop helps maintain and improve soil properties, and could also provide additional value for farmers if it has economic value. In this work, we investigated the properties of the seed oil from a new variety of field pennycress, named high oleic pennycress. The new variety has excellent properties for applications as a lubricant or additive for other materials.

Technical Abstract: Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) has been adapted as an off-season cover crop for the midwestern United States. It is a non-food crop that can be grown as a winter annual crop and harvested in-between corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max(L.) Merr.) seasons. High oleic pennycress (HOP) has been developed from field pennycress with the intention of producing pennycress oil with more desirable properties for industrial applications. In this work, the composition and physical properties of HOP oil have been characterized. As expected, the oil was predominantly composed of oleic acid (62.6%) and had a low saturated fatty acid content (4.1%). The cold flow properties of HOP oil were superb, with a cloud point of -24°C and a pour point of -35°C. Additional properties including antioxidant content, viscosity, oxidative stability, and lubricity were analyzed. Compared with field pennycress oil, HOP oil had better cold flow properties, but lower oxidative stability and antioxidant content. Thus, HOP oil has advantages in low temperature applications, while field pennycress oil is more suitable for high temperature applications. Structure property relationships between the fatty acid composition and physical properties of the oils are discussed.