The impact of advanced rapeseed pretreatment technology on minor compounds in rapeseed oil: A review

Rapeseed is the primary domestic source of edible vegetable oil in China. Its oil is naturally rich in phytosterols, polyphenols, tocopherols, carotenoids and other lipid-soluble companions, which are highly beneficial to human health. Since the content and bioaccessibility of these health-promoting companions are mostly locked during the first post-harvest operation, the pretreatment technology has become the decisive lever for simultaneously maximizing oil yield and nutritional value. This review critically synthesizes recent findings on how rapeseed pretreatment modulates its signature lipid companions, contrasts conventional roasting with emerging pulsed-electric field, microwave and steam-explosion technologies, and evaluates their respective impacts on extraction efficiency, structural integrity and functional performance on phytosterols, polyphenols, tocopherols and carotenoids. It particularly compares and analyzes the extraction efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact for these emerging technologies, and discusses the prospects for their integrated applications. Furthermore, the review concludes with the current research trends in pretreatment technology and offers insights into future research directions, aiming to provide scientific guidance for the high-quality processing of rapeseed and the production of rapeseed oil with high nutritional value.