Evaluation of Chemical Composition of Two Linseed Varieties as Sources of Health-Beneficial Substances

Abstract

Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is becoming more and more important in the health food market as a functional food, since its seeds and oil represent a rich source of bioactive compounds. Its chemical composition is strongly correlated with, and dependent on, genetic characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variation in seed yield, oil content, fatty acid composition and secondary metabolite profiles between a low-linolenic linseed variety, belonging to the Solin-type group (Solal), and a high-linolenic traditional one (Bethune), cultivated, both as spring crops, in open field conditions of Central Italy. The achieved results pointed out the different behavior of the two varieties in terms of growth cycle, oil content, and some important yield components, such as capsule number per plant and thousand seed weight. There were also significant differences in seed composition regarding total phenols, total flavonoids, antioxidant activities as well as in carotenoid, tocopherol, and tocotrienol profiles between the two varieties. In particular, Solal was characterized by the greatest contents of oil, phenols, flavonoids, α- and δ- tocotrienol, together with the highest antioxidant activity. Bethune, on the contrary, showed the highest amounts of carotenoids (lutein and β-carotene). These results indicate a clear effect of the genetic characteristics on the biosynthesis of these secondary metabolites and, consequently, on the related antioxidant activity. Our findings suggest that the mutation process, responsible for the selection of the low-linolenic cultivar, is able to modify the biosynthetic pathways of carotenoids and phenolics.

The Effect of Prickly Pear, Pumpkin, and Linseed Oils on Biological Mediators of Acute Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Markers

“…Although antioxidant and antibacterial properties of pumpkin, linseed, and prickly pear oils were reported in several studies [5][6][7], the acute anti-inflammatory activities using carrageenan test are still not scientifically confirmed.…”

“…Traditionally, flaxseed is grown for its oil. The linseed and its derivative are rich sources of the essential fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid) and an array of antioxidants [6,12]. Linseed extracted oil is used in traditional medicine as an antioxidant, laxative, sedative, and emollient agent [11,13].…”

Seed oil and seed oil byproducts of common purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.): A new insight to plant-based sources rich in omega-3 fatty acids

“…Various plants have been indicated as rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, some of which are currently being used in the food and pharmaceutical industry (Dubois et al, 2007). Vegetable oils from species such as sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis), linseed (Linum usitatissimum) and perilla (Perilla frutescens) are rich in ALA (45-50%, 52-55%, and 47-64% for sacha ichi, linseed and perilla respectively; Kim et al, 2019;Tavarini et al, 2019;Wang, Zhu, & Kakuda, 2018) and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109099 Received 29 July 2019; Received in revised form 21 January 2020; Accepted 25 January 2020 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), whereas chia (Salvia hispanica) and purslane (Portulaca oleracea) contain ALA (61.3% and 32.4% for chia and purslane, respectively) and linoleic acid (LA) in amounts that account to omega-6/omega-3 ratios with values lower than 4, indicating high nutritional value (Dubois et al, 2007;Guil-Guerrero & Rodríguez-García, 1999). Genetically modified and transgenic plants have been also suggested as potential sources of EPA and DHA in aquaculture to replace direct use of fish oils for fish feeding (Tocher, 2015;Tocher et al, 2019).…”

Effect of Adding Curcumin on the Properties of Linseed Oil Organogels Used as Fat Replacers in Pâtés

“…Linseed oil naturally contains α, γ, and δ-tocopherols, and the most abundant isomer is the γ-form (about 60% of the total content). The antioxidant activity of tocopherols has been attributed to their ability to donate hydrogen atoms to peroxyl radicals, preventing the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids [ 54 ].…”