Determination of Oil Ratio and Fatty Acid Composition in the Seeds of Some Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Varieties.

In this study, oil ratios and fatty acid components in the seeds of 17 different flax varieties (Sarı-85, Atalanta, Florinda, Floriana, Flanders, Lirina, Mureş, Midin, Mikael, Mc Groger, Antares, Olin, Norman, Linda, Barbara, Dakota, and Fluin) grown under the ecological conditions of Kazova, Tokat, Turkey are determined. For analysis purposes, oil was extracted from seeds by means of cold extraction. Following solvent removal, amounts were calculated. In order to perform fatty acid analysis, first fatty acid methyl esters were formed. Then, gas chromatography method was employed using a FID detector. As the findings of the study revealed, the ratio of oil contained in linseeds ranged from 31.8% to 38.9%. The flax variety having the highest oil ratio was Floriana (38.9%). In the flax varieties analyzed, both the difference between oil ratios and the difference between fatty acid components were found to be statistically significant (p<0.01). The rate of unsaturated fatty acids (85.8-89.0%) were higher than the rate of saturated fatty acids (11.0-14.2%) in the seeds of the flax varieties analyzed. The rates of linolenic acid (omega-3), which is the most significant unsaturated fatty acid for flax, varied between 50.32% and 58.28%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]