Due to world population growth and economic advancement of developing countries, the
demand for food and fossil fuel has been increased for the last several years. Rising oil prices and global
warming are propelling many countries to find renewable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly
energy resources. Of oil crops, oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is a promising and renewable feedstock for
producing biodiesel in Korea, in terms of climate condition and cropping system. Seed oils are mostly
composed of triacylglycerol (TAG) molecules, which contain three fatty acids bound to a glycerol backbone.
Triglycerides are split into their components via transesterification during the manufacture of
biodiesel. Triacylglycerol is stored in developing seeds in the form of oil bodies. Today, increasing seed oil
quantity and oleic-acid content via breeding and biotechnology is a critical step toward ideal biodiesel
production. Many studies worldwide have been focused on characterization of enzymes involved in fatty
acid flux of oilseeds. The results highlighted DGAT(diacylglycerol acyltransferase), the last enzyme in
the Kennedy pathway, as a promising target for increasing oil and oleic acid contents in oil crops including
maize, rapeseed, and Arabidopsis. We identified that 153 patents related to DGAT were applied
worldwide from 1991 to 2008. The highest number of patents were issued in 2004 and the United State
has the highest number of patents with 62. More than 30 patents were about triacylglycerol production
technology. Korea has an opportunity to become a front runner in the worldwide race for biodiesel production.
Through intensive research, Brassica napus can be bred to produce the building blocks for
extensive amounts of biodiesel and thus, lessen demand for unrenewable, expensive fossil fuels. Therefore,
generating and exploring renewable energy resources, especially biofuels, will relax economic and
environmental pressures worldwide.