Chapter 15
Hempseed (Cannabis sativa)
Irshaan Syed, Sourav Garg, Saumya Agarwal, and Nupur Mohapatra
Abstract Hempseed is a well-known source of highly digestible protein (edestin
and albumin). It has significant amounts of all essential amino acids, bioactive
compounds along with dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. The hempseed oil
extracted from the achenes of cannabis usually has more than 80% of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Particularly, it is a rich source of α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid
and has been used as a replacement for fish oil. Moreover, various clinical trials
carried out on hempseed oil have signified its importance as a functional food and are
often used for the treatment of disorders. The moisture content present in the seed at
various stages such as harvest and pressing is typically around 15 and 10%,
respectively. The presence of excess moisture content during processing would
favour mould growth and is a possible reason for reduced shelf life. This article
covers the challenges and adverse effects associated with the use of hempseed that
include long-term stability issues and toxicity. One among the significant adverse
effects includes the presence of a psychoactive compound such as Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Thus, the scope of this review is to highlight and focus on the
significant findings that will contribute to broadening the application of hempseed
for food applications and related health benefits.
Keywords Hempseed · Health benefits · Nutritional composition · Toxic effects ·
Hypercholesterolemia
15.1 Origin and History
The use of hempseed (Cannabis sativa) as a source of food, fibre and medicine has
been a subject of extensive research. Secondly, the use of whole seed as food and
condiment persists by various consumer groups across the world, especially in Asia
I. Syed (*) · S. Garg · S. Agarwal · N. Mohapatra
Department of Food Process Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela,
Odisha, India
e-mail: 514fp1004@nitrkl.ac.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_15
373
Hempseed (Cannabis sativa)
Irshaan Syed, Sourav Garg, Saumya Agarwal, and Nupur Mohapatra
Abstract Hempseed is a well-known source of highly digestible protein (edestin
and albumin). It has significant amounts of all essential amino acids, bioactive
compounds along with dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. The hempseed oil
extracted from the achenes of cannabis usually has more than 80% of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Particularly, it is a rich source of α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid
and has been used as a replacement for fish oil. Moreover, various clinical trials
carried out on hempseed oil have signified its importance as a functional food and are
often used for the treatment of disorders. The moisture content present in the seed at
various stages such as harvest and pressing is typically around 15 and 10%,
respectively. The presence of excess moisture content during processing would
favour mould growth and is a possible reason for reduced shelf life. This article
covers the challenges and adverse effects associated with the use of hempseed that
include long-term stability issues and toxicity. One among the significant adverse
effects includes the presence of a psychoactive compound such as Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Thus, the scope of this review is to highlight and focus on the
significant findings that will contribute to broadening the application of hempseed
for food applications and related health benefits.
Keywords Hempseed · Health benefits · Nutritional composition · Toxic effects ·
Hypercholesterolemia
15.1 Origin and History
The use of hempseed (Cannabis sativa) as a source of food, fibre and medicine has
been a subject of extensive research. Secondly, the use of whole seed as food and
condiment persists by various consumer groups across the world, especially in Asia
I. Syed (*) · S. Garg · S. Agarwal · N. Mohapatra
Department of Food Process Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela,
Odisha, India
e-mail: 514fp1004@nitrkl.ac.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_15
373