PHYSICAL  PROPERTIES Selected physical properties for canola oil are shown in Table 1. Table 1. Physical Properties of Canola Oil Parameter Value Relative Density (g/cm3; 20°C/water at 20°C) 0.914 - 0.917 Refractive Index (nD 40°C) 1.465 - 1.467 Crismer Value 67 - 70 Viscosity (Kinematic at 20°C,  mm2/sec) 78.2 Cold Test  (15 Hrs at 4°C) Passed Smoke Point (°C) 220 - 230 Flash Point, Open cup (°C) 275 - 290 Specific Heat (J/g at 20°C) 1.910 - 1.916 Thermal Conductivity (W/m°K) 0.179 - 0.188 Relative Density The relative density of canola oil was first reported by Ackman and Eaton in 1977 and later confirmed by Vadke et al. (1988) and Lang et al. (1992). Noureddini et al. (1992) reported a density for high erucic acid rapeseed oil of 0.9073 g/cm³  while Appelqvist & Ohlson (1972) reported a range from 0.906 g/cm³  to 0.914 g/cm³.  Ackman and Eaton (1977) indicated that a different proportion of eicosenoic (C20:1) and C18 polyunsaturated acids could be a major factor for the increase in relative density of canola oil. The higher specific gravity of 0.9193 g/cm³  observed for soybean oil can be attributed to the higher content of linoleic acid (Ackman and Eaton,  1977). As for other liquids,  the density of vegetable oils is temper- ature dependent and decreases in value when temperature increases (Figure 1). Crismer Value The Crismer Value measures the miscibility of an oil in a standard solvent mixture,  composed of t-amyl alcohol,  ethyl alcohol and water in the vol- ume proportion 5:5:0.27. Crismer value (CV) is one of the specification criteria used for international trade,  mostly in Europe. Characteristic val- ues are usually within a narrow limit (AOCS,  1992). The miscibility of an oil is related to the solubility of glycerides,  and is affected mainly by the unsaturation and chain length of the constituent fatty acids. Little data is available describing the solubility characteristics of canola oil. Sahasrabudhe (1977) found that the Crismer value decreased from 82.0 to 76.8 with the reduction of erucic acid content from 54 to 0.1%. Viscosity Viscosity values estimate an oil’s relative thickness or resistance to flow. Viscosity of refined,  bleached and deodorized (RBD) canola is higher than soybean oil (Figure 2). of canola and other vegetable oils,  like other liquids,  was affected by temperature and proposed an equation to calculate viscosity in the temperature range from 4 to 100°C.  Figure 2 shows the relation between temperature and viscosity for canola and selected vegetable oils. Rapeseed oil exhibited a higher viscosity than canola,  corn and soybean oils. This can be directly related to the contribution of saturated fatty acids (Noureddini et al.,  1992a). Canola Oil: Physical and Chemical Properties by Dr. Roman Przybylski Canola oil produced in Canada is obtained from the seeds of Brassica napus  and Brassica rapa. These cultivars,  low in erucic acid and glucosinolates,  are very different from high erucic acid rapeseed oil in chemical,  physical and nutritional properties. 1