EFFECT OF PARTICLE SIZE AND SAMPLE SIZE ON LIPID STABILITY OF MILLED FLAXSEED (Linum usitatissimum L.)

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of sample size and particle size on lipid oxidation of milled flaxseed. An initial experiment showed that most of the lipid oxidation detected in milled flaxseed samples occurred on the surface that was exposed to the air during storage. In a subsequent experiment, milled flaxseed at 100, 200 and 300 g were stored in the dark in rectangular pans for 8, 24 and 48 days at 50C. Lipid oxidation, as determined by surface lipid content, peroxide value and α-linolenic acid content, was lower in the 300 g samples than in the 100 g samples of milled flaxseed. Large versus small samples had less apparent lipid oxidation because of their inherently lower surface to volume ratio. In a third experiment, oxidation was lower in lipid extracted from coarse (>600 μm) than fine particles (