Discover The Benefits And Properties Of Flaxseed Part 1

The Linseed 

Description and composition

Flaxseed is a good source of vegetable fat omega-3, dietary fiber and other nutrients.Its nutritional composition distinguishes it from other important oilseeds such as canola and sunflower. The information below provides the basis for demonstrating the benefits of flaxseed for health.


Description:

The botanical name of the flaxseed is Linum usitatissimum of the Linaceae family. Flaxseed is a very versatile blue flori cultivation.


The seeds that are used for human food and animal feed are harvested and subsequently sieved through a fine mesh, resulting in a uniform set of whole seeds considered 99.9 % pure.

The seed of flaxseed is flat nd oval with a sharp edge. It is a little bit bigger than sesame seeds and measured between 4 and 6 mm.The seed has a texture toast and has a pleasant nutty flavor.

The flaxseed can vary in color from brown-dark until light yellow. The color of the seed is determined by the amount of pigment in the outer cover of the seed - to more pigment  more obscure is the seed. The color of the seed is easily modified through simple techniques of cultivation.


 Omega-3 fatty acid and health
The seed of linseed brown that is rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is an omega-3 fatty acid, is the seed of linseed which most commonly is produced in Canada. The seed of linseed of yellow color can be of two types.

The first type is a variety developed in the USA called Omega, which is so rich in ALA as coffee  flaxseed. The second type is a flaxseed variety totally different called Solin, which is low in ALA.

The linseed Solin was developed for use in foods and is currently being used in margarines of high quality, especially in Europe. Solin is the generic name for the flaxseed with low content of ALA; the trademark for the only commercial source of this type of flaxseed is LinolaMR. 

Coffee flaxseed and Omega  is sold in health food stores, supermarkets and some through the Internet. The varieties of Solin are not sold directly to consumers however the entire seed Solin is available to consumers as an ingredient in some bakery products based on whole grain that are marketed in Australia and the United Kingdom. 

In Canada, it is required that the seed Solin has a yellow cover for producers and packers can differentiate it from the seed of linseed coffee in all the stages of handling. A new type of linseed called ALA NuLinMR contains more that the traditional linseed and is commercial.

The terms "Flaxseed" and "Linseed" are generally used as a substitute however Americans use the term "Flaxseed" when the product is used for human food and the term "Linseed" when the product is used for industrial purposes such as linoleum. In Europe  the term "flax" identifies those varieties that are used to manufacture linen.

The varieties of flaxseed for human consumption are different varieties of linseed which are used as fiber to produce flax.  All the varieties that are grown for human consumption or for other purposes were developed using traditional farming methods and do not contain genetically modified organisms.

We will continue with this theme in the next article (Part 2)