Flaxseed Kernel Dietary Fibre: Partial Structure and Physicochemical Characterisation
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Published:01 Jul 2013
H. Ding, S. W. Cui, Q. Wang, J. Chen, N. F. Han, and H. Douglas Goff, in Water Contamination Emergencies: Managing the Threats, ed. U. Borchers, J. Gray, K. C. Thompson, K. C. Thompson, U. Borchers, and J. Gray, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013, pp. 90-99.
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Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), one of the most economically important oilseed crops, is rich in soluble and insoluble dietary fibres. US National Cancer Institute (NCI) targeted flaxseed as one of the six plant materials for studying as cancer preventive foods and ingredients. The health benefits of dietary fibre include protecting against several chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, obesity, colon cancer), reducing blood cholesterol levels, and improving insulin sensitivity. There is also an extensive list of other potential flaxseed dietary fibre products. This study discovered that flaxseed kernels contained about 20% of dietary fibre, previously unreported. De-oiled flaxseed meal – a by-product of flaxseed oil industry normally discarded or used as livestock feeds – is abundant in flaxseed kernel dietary fibres (FKDF). To promote further utilization of flaxseed, investigation on structure and physicochemical characteristics of FKDF is an important step to explore their potential, thus producing more value-added flaxseed products in food, nutrition, and drug industries.
