Barriers to the release of flaxseed oil bodies and ways of overcoming them

The outermost mucilaginous layer of the seed is a major, valuable component of flaxseed, but it induces a rapid thickening of the medium when the seeds are immersed in water, reducing the efficiency of oil body extraction. Ultrasound can be used to extract this mucilage rapidly before the seeds are ground in water. This makes it possible to extract the oil bodies as an emulsion, with the proteins present acting as dispersing and stabilizing agents. This emulsion is a thick fluid displaying shear-thinning and predominantly elastic behavior. This phase can be valorized directly due to its high concentration in polyunsaturated fatty acids, high content of valuable sterols, and high arginine content of its proteins.