What Is Erucic Acid (22:1)? Should I Give It To My Child?

Erucic acid, 22:1, also known as docosenoic acid. It’s a monounsaturated uncommon fatty acid.

Erucic acid was found in the original rapeseed oil in very high amounts.

Erucic acid is classified as a contaminant.

Children up to 10 years of age, should not consume erucic acid.

Erucic Acid Is Found In Plants

Erucic Acid is a monounsaturated very long-chain fatty acid. (source ◳)

Erucic acid is found in plants such as canola, rapeseed, wallflower seed, mustard seed, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. (source ◳)

It can also be found in different fish oils.

Erucic Acid, Not For Children

Erucic acid was considered responsible for producing fatty acids in the heart and the skeletal muscles and also impairing growth.

So a breeding program with new rapeseed varieties started, with lower levels of erucic acid.

Still, infants have low amounts of the enzyme that breaks down erucic acid.

Because of this, babies and children should not be given foods with erucic acid. (source ◳)

Erucic acid still poses a health risk for exposed children up to 10 years of age.

You can find this and other side-effects of erucic acid in Erucic Acid (22:1): 5 Research-Backed Side-Effects .

Classified As A Contaminant

Erucic acid is classified as a contaminant that's found in many vegetable oils.

For most people, this is not a safety concern, if not overconsuming.

But it poses a long-term health risk, especially for children, who consume high amounts of foods containing this acid. (source ◳)

Hard To Find The Better Option

Canola oil is one of the most used oils made from rapeseed.

It has been genetically modified to produce healthier oils with higher oleic acid and lower erucic acid.

Unfortunately, these better oils are not available in any large commercial quantities. (source ◳)

Foods with a high content of erucic acid are considered undesirable for consumption. Because of the health implications, it might give. (source ◳)

Foods You Can Find Erucic Acid In

You find erucic acid mostly in fats and oils, spices and herbs, american indian and alaska native food, and seafood.

Examples of food sources include

Foods in our nutrition tool

You can find regularly updated top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.

If you are interested in what foods contain the most erucic acid, we recommend you visit our tool.

Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Erucic Acid (22:1).

Sara Niemelä

co-founder Care Omnia, Head Content Creator

Nutrition is my passion. I've spent thousands upon thousands of hours reading, analyzing, categorizing and comparing research studies.

I’m a wife and a mother of three. I enjoy the outdoors, cooking, and spending time with my family.