Application of advanced molecular spectroscopy and modern evaluation techniques in canola molecular structure and nutrition property research

Abstract

This review aims to provide research update and progress on applications of advanced molecular spectroscopy to current research on canola related bio-processing technology, molecular structure, and nutrient utilization and availability. The studies focused on how inherent molecular structure changes affect nutritional quality of canola and its co-products from bio-processing. The molecular spectroscopic techniques (SR-IMS, DRIFT, ATR-FTIR) used for molecular structure and nutrition association were reviewed, including the synchrotron radiation with infrared microspectroscopy, the synchrotron radiation with soft x-ray microspectroscopy, the diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, the grading near infrared reflectance spectroscopy, and the Fourier transform infrared vibrational spectroscopy. Nutritional evaluation with other techniques in association with molecular structure was also reviewed. This study provides updated research progress on application of molecular spectroscopy in combination with various nutrition evaluation techniques to current research in the canola-related bio-oil/bio-energy processing and nutrition sciences.

Keywords:

• Bio-oil processing
• canola
• molecular structure
• nutrition evaluation techniques
• nutritional property
• synchrotron and glabar
• vibrational molecular spectroscopy

Acknowledgments

The Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Chair (PY) Programs fund from the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG), the SaskCanola, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC-Individual Discovery Grant and NSERC-CRD Grant), Saskatchewan Agriculture Strategic Research Chair Program, Agricultural Development Fund (ADF), SaskMilk, Saskatchewan Forage Network (SNK), Western Grain Research Foundation (WGRF), Prairie Oat Grower Associations (POGA) etc are acknowledged. The National Synchrotron Light Source in Brookhaven National Laboratory (NSLS-BNL, New York, USA) and Advanced Light Source in Berkeley National Laboratory (ALS-BNL) are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. Canadian Light Source Inc. at University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Canada) is supported by various Canadian federal and provincial funds. The author is grateful to Lisa Miller for synchrotron beamtime arrangement at ALS and NSLS, valuable discussion and/or collaborations, and Randy Smith (NSLS-BNL, New York) and Hans Bechtel (ALS, Berkeley) for helpful synchrotron data collection at ALS and NSLS.