Chapter 10
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum)
Sangita Ganguly, Narender Raju Panjagari, and Rakesh Kumar Raman
Abstract Flaxseed is an important crop being used for multiple purposes with
increasing applications in functional food development because of its high content
of bioactive fatty acids (omega-3) and other phytonutrients. It contains several
biologically active components that prevent and cure several physiological conditions and noncommunicable diseases such as dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes
mellitus, several types of cancer, kidney and renal failure, bowel syndrome, immune
functions, etc. Flaxseed products such as whole seed, meal, oil, or mucilage are
predominantly used for functional food development. In the present chapter, the
proximates composition, mechanisms involved in the health benefits, and the effect
of flaxseed on the quality of different food products have been discussed.
Keywords Flaxseed oil · Linseed · Alpha-linolenic acid · Secoisolariciresinol
diglucoside · Food applications · Omega-3 fatty acids
10.1 Introduction
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum), also known as linseed, is grown as rabi crop in
India in winter season. The plant belonging to the Linaceae family is a self-pollinated
herb with 60–100 cm length. There are major two types of cultivars, namely, fiber
type and seed type. The fiber-type cultivars are slender and more branched, whereas
the seed-type cultivars are shorter and more branched. It grows under the rainfall of
45–75 cm in sandy loam or clay loam soil of pH 5–7. Flaxseed is an important crop
of which all parts of the plant can be utilized for industrial, food, as well as feed
purposes. The stem yields good quality dietary fiber, while the seed provides oil rich
in bioactive components such as α-linolenic acid (ALA, omega-3), phytosterols, etc.
The whole grain approximately sized 2.5 Â 5.0 Â 1.5 mm is flat and oval with a
S. Ganguly · N. R. Panjagari (*) · R. K. Raman
Dairy Technology Division, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
e-mail: narender.p@icar.gov.in
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
B. Tanwar, A. Goyal (eds.), Oilseeds: Health Attributes and Food Applications,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4194-0_10
253
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum)
Sangita Ganguly, Narender Raju Panjagari, and Rakesh Kumar Raman
Abstract Flaxseed is an important crop being used for multiple purposes with
increasing applications in functional food development because of its high content
of bioactive fatty acids (omega-3) and other phytonutrients. It contains several
biologically active components that prevent and cure several physiological conditions and noncommunicable diseases such as dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes
mellitus, several types of cancer, kidney and renal failure, bowel syndrome, immune
functions, etc. Flaxseed products such as whole seed, meal, oil, or mucilage are
predominantly used for functional food development. In the present chapter, the
proximates composition, mechanisms involved in the health benefits, and the effect
of flaxseed on the quality of different food products have been discussed.
Keywords Flaxseed oil · Linseed · Alpha-linolenic acid · Secoisolariciresinol
diglucoside · Food applications · Omega-3 fatty acids
10.1 Introduction
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum), also known as linseed, is grown as rabi crop in
India in winter season. The plant belonging to the Linaceae family is a self-pollinated
herb with 60–100 cm length. There are major two types of cultivars, namely, fiber
type and seed type. The fiber-type cultivars are slender and more branched, whereas
the seed-type cultivars are shorter and more branched. It grows under the rainfall of
45–75 cm in sandy loam or clay loam soil of pH 5–7. Flaxseed is an important crop
of which all parts of the plant can be utilized for industrial, food, as well as feed
purposes. The stem yields good quality dietary fiber, while the seed provides oil rich
in bioactive components such as α-linolenic acid (ALA, omega-3), phytosterols, etc.
The whole grain approximately sized 2.5 Â 5.0 Â 1.5 mm is flat and oval with a
S. Ganguly · N. R. Panjagari (*) · R. K. Raman
Dairy Technology Division, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
e-mail: narender.p@icar.gov.in
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
B. Tanwar, A. Goyal (eds.), Oilseeds: Health Attributes and Food Applications,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4194-0_10
253