CHARACTERISTICS OF FLAXSEED OIL FROM TWO DIFFERENT FLAX PLANTS

Flaxseed oil is rich in linolenic acid, and being accepted in diet by more and more people. The characteristics of flaxseed oil from two different varieties, namely fibre-flax seed and oil-flax seed, were evaluated. It was shown that fatty acids of flaxseed oil were mainly constituted by linolenic, oleic, linoleic, stearic, and palmitic acids, and the oil-flax seed oil contained more linolenic acid (58.03%) compared with the fibre-flax seed oil (47.37%). The fibre-flax seed oil showed a higher absorbance at 290-800 nm. Thermogravimetric curves showed that the oil-flax seed oil was more stable than the fibre-flax seed oil. Thermal profiles indicated that the fibre-flax seed oil had higher melting peak temperature and larger enthalpy. Rheological studies indicated that the apparent viscosity of the fibre-flax seed oil was higher than that of the oil-flax seed oil. It can be concluded that the oil-flax seed oil is better than the fibre-flax seed oil in terms of edibility.