Linseed

Botany and history
Flax is an annual seed-oil plant with a growth height of 20-100 cm. It makes few demands on the soil, but as a so-called long-day plant, it only flowers if the daily exposure time is not less than 14 hours during its development period. The flaxseed capsules, which are up to 8 mm in size and contain 8-10 seeds, develop from the fruit stalks of the sky-blue flowers. The color of the linseed varies from light yellow to dark brown with a shiny, smooth surface.

The botanical name suffix usitatissimum is derived from the Latin “useful” and indicates the diverse uses of the approx. 200 flax species as fiber, oil and seed. 
As one of the oldest cultivated plants in the history of mankind, flax was cultivated in Mesopotamia over 9,000 years ago and the ancient Egyptians used linen cloth to wrap their mummies, for example. The oldest finds in Europe date back to around 2,700 BC in Switzerland. Threads, cords and nets were among the typical fiber linen products. In the Middle Ages, flax was an important agricultural and textile trade product until the start of the industrial revolution, when cotton fiber, which was easier to process, began its triumphant advance.

Main cultivation countries
Today, linseed is grown in various countries of origin: The main countries of origin for linseed are Russia with an annual harvest of approx. 1,450,000 tons, followed by Kazakhstan with approx. 1,026,000 tons. Canada is by far the third largest producer with an annual harvest of 420,000 tons. China is in fourth place with 340,000 tons and the USA is in fifth place with 70,000 tons.

Processing and use
During harvesting, the plants are “ruffled” using special machines, i.e. pulled out of the ground by the roots. After drying, the plants are “riffled”, i.e. the stalks are pulled through a riffle board shaped like a comb to separate the seed capsules from the stalk, before the linseed is separated, cleaned, dried and peeled.

Flax can be almost completely utilized industrially: the two most important products obtained from flax are fibres for the textile and technical sectors and linseed oil obtained from linseed. The oil content of linseed is 30-44% and the content of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for nutrition, in linseed oil is the highest of all known vegetable oils. In industry, linseed oil is used to produce paints, varnishes, varnishes, oilcloths and linoleum.

A smaller proportion of the linseed harvest is used in the food industry for baked goods, muesli, as an ingredient in pasta, in savory quark dishes and for health foods.
The high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants in linseed is beneficial to health and besides the high fiber content promotes digestion.