Abstract

COMPARISION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LINSEED AVAILABLE IN INDIA

Sirisha Mittapally*, Prof. Shyam Sundar Rachamalla

ABSTRACT

Linseed(LinumUsitatissimum), a popular seed known for its therapeutic properties([5,11]). From the times of Charaka, Sushruta in Ayurveda, it has been used for vata and pitta related disorders([12,13]). Linseed in indigenous to India, it is cultivated mostly in north India. There are many varieties in India, which differ in their morphological appearance and lipid content. Of these, five prominent varieties were extracted for its lipid content using solvent mixture containing n- Hexane and Diethyl ether with Dielectric constant of 2.7([2,10]). The lipid contents were characterized for the percentage of Poly Unsaturated fatty acids(PUFA’s).The therapeutic properties are attributed to the PUFA’s present in the lipid content of the seed. The fatty acids present are linolenic acid(omega-3), linoleic acid(omega-6), oleic acid(omega-9), palmitic and stearic acids. The varieties differ in their lipid content and percentage of PUFA,s. T-397 has higher percentage of PUFA’s among the five prominent varieties provided by Linseed, coordinator, Chandra Sekhar Azad University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Percentage of omega-3 in T-397 is approximately 49% which makes it the preferred seed for oil extraction.

Keywords: Linseed, Flax, PUFA’s, Omega-3.