Sulfur compounds affecting processing of rapeseed

A characteristic feature of cruciferous oilseeds is a high level of sulfur compounds as sulfur‐containing amino acids and glucosinolates which determine the nutritional value of rapeseed meal and affect processing factors in oil mills. During rapeseed processing, products of glucosinolate splitting are liberated and attack metal and, as a result, a specific sulfur corrosion of oil mill equipment develops. The most exposed are cooker, toaster and transporters of wet meal. The results of industrial investigation of sulfur corrosion are described and the sensitivity to corrosion of several construction steels during rapeseed processing is considered. A high content of sulfur‐containing compounds in starting oil significantly depressed the nickel catalyst activity and influenced the kinetics of rapeseed oil hydrogenation. Removal of these compounds by refining and its influence on the rate of oil hydrogenation are discussed.