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Canary seed: a novel cereal from the Canadian Prairies

Production and other metrics

Figure 3 Acreage and production of canary seeds in Canada in the last five years. Source: Statistics Canada (year of reference)
Figure 3. Acreage and production of canary seeds in Canada in the last five years. Source: Statistics Canada (year of reference)
  • The average production of canary seeds in Canada over the last six years was 149,600 tonnes and the average seeded area was 273,050 acres (Figure 3).
  • Saskatchewan accounts for over 95% of Canadian acreage and production and is the world’s leading producer and exporter of canary seeds.
  • Canada accounts for 65% of global production and about 80% of total export of canary seeds (Figure 4). The top export locations include Mexico, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, the United States and Colombia.
  • Yields of canary seeds range from 897 to 1569 kg/ha (800-1400 lb/acre).
  • At $0.25 average price per pound, the crop brings ~$81.6 million annually to Canadian producers.
  • The common ‘hairy’ varieties grown in Canada are Keet, Cantate and Elias.
  • The ‘hairless’, glabrous varieties include CDC Maria, CDC Togo, CDC Bastia, CDC Calvi, CDC Cibo and the recently registered CDC Lumio (2019). Several varieties are available from CANTERRA SEEDS.
  • Glabrous canary seeds can have a brown or yellow coat (Figure 5).
Figure 4 Shares of global export of canary seeds in 2018.
Figure 4. Shares of global export of canary seeds in 2018.
Figure 5 Yellow and brown canary seeds. Photo courtesy of Gloria Gingera.
Figure 5. Yellow and brown canary seeds. Photo courtesy of Gloria Gingera.

Canary seeds as food ingredients

  • Canary seeds require abrasive dehulling and aspiration to separate the seed coat from the groat to make them suitable for human consumption.
  • After dehulling, the groats can be milled into flour. Roller milling, pin milling and hammer milling have all been used to make canary seed flour.
  • Pin milling is the preferred method of milling canary seed due to its high oil content.
  • Tempered groats have been used to make canary seed flakes.
  • Dehulled groats can be used in some whole grain foods as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. Canary seed ingredients and potential uses in various food products.<
Figure 6. Canary seed ingredients and potential uses in various food products.

What’s unique about canary seeds?

Mature canary seed plant. Photo courtesy of Gloria Gingera.
Mature canary seed plant. Photo courtesy of Gloria Gingera.

Canary seeds are an excellent source of plant-based proteins as they have a higher protein content (20-22%) than other cereal grains. The major proteins in canary seed are prolamins (45.5%) followed by albumins and globulins (13.1%) (Patterson et al., 2018). Canary seed proteins have cholesterol-lowering properties that might come from their low ratio of lysine to arginine (0.2). In addition, canary seed proteins contain exceptionally high amounts of tryptophan (2.8 g/100 g protein), which make them a beneficial supplement in dairy products (Abdel-Aal et al., 2010).

Peptides obtained by digestion of canary seed proteins have the potential to lower blood pressure (Valverde et al, 2017; Mason et al., 2018). Moreover, they possess antioxidant properties and have been shown to prevent neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases (Chanput et al., 2009).

Canary seeds are gluten-free and can be used by consumers with celiac disease. However, canary seed contains some proteins that also occur in wheat and Health Canada (2020) requires that the statement, “may not be suitable for consumers with a wheat allergy”, is included on labels of products containing canary seeds.

Canary seeds contain about 6-9% oil with a fatty acid composition of 55% linoleic, 29% oleic, 11% palmitic, 2.5% linolenic, and 1% stearic acids (Valverde et al., 2017). Canary seed oil has a high ratio of unsaturated to saturated fats (7.5 compared with 5.0 for wheat oil) which promotes cardiovascular health, neurological function and improved immune response. With its additional antioxidant properties, canary seed oil offers a healthy alternative to other grains. (Abdel-Aal et al., 2010).

Another unique constituent of canary seed is β-carotene, which is present in larger amounts than in other cereal grains (Li & Beta, 2012). β-carotene is associated with beneficial biological functions that include boosting antioxidant activity, improving immune response, suppressing reactive oxygen species and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease (Mason, 2018).

Canary seed starch contains a slightly lower amount of amylose (22.5-23.6%) than wheat (25.6%). This amylose content causes it to form thick solutions when cooked and rigid gels upon cooling (Abdel-Aal et al., 2010). Canary seed starch has a high tendency towards retrogradation, the realignment of cooked starch as it cools, which may contribute to firmer food texture (Irani et al., 2019). The starch also tends to form resistant starch, which makes it nutritionally valuable as resistant starch lowers the glycemic index of food, promotes the growth of probiotic bacteria and improves satiety.

After dehulling, canary seeds consist of approximately 7% of dietary fiber, which is considerably lower than other cereal grains.

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