Abstract
Flaxseed or linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an annual herb belongs to the Linaceae family. It is cultivated worldwide and has been used for its oil seed and fiber since ancient times in Egypt, Rome and Greece. Nowadays it is considered as a medicinal plant in Asia, Europe and North America. Therapeutic effects of flaxseed fixed oil have been reported in several publications, but there are only few reports on biological activities of the flaxseed proteins. In the present study antimicrobial activities of the flaxseed proteins have been investigated. Hemogenized flaxseed flour was at first defatted and demucilaged, and its protein content was extracted in distilled water. After centrifugation, proteins of supernatant were isolated by adjusting pH. Gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography on the protein extact gave fairly pure protein fractions, which antibacterial activities were examined against several microorganisms using the microbial micro-plate dilution method. The results showed that flaxseed proteins have an inhibitory activity on bacteria especially against Entrococcus foecalis, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli. Our experiment also revealed that mucilage composition as carbohydrates would not contribute in the inhibitory effect, but in fact, might cover and inhibit the antibacterial activity of flaxseed proteins. Moreover, it is possible that the carbohydrate components of flaxseed promote the microorganism growth.
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