Modern quality control methods of flax seeds herbal drugs in Russia

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Flax seeds are valuable medicinal and food raw materials because of their various complex of biologically active substances (BAS). They have a great potential for pharmaceutical practice and food industry. The purpose of the work is to study the possibilities for improvement of methods for standardization of flax seeds and drugs (infusion is the dietary supplement (DS), which contains fatty flax seeds extra virgin oil in gelatin capsule and fatty flax seeds oil containing in multicomponent drugs) on their basis. The following groups of BAS are studied by modern physicochemical methods: contents of polysaccharides (gravimetry), contents and composition of the fatty acids containing in fatty oils (gas flame photometric chromatography) and contents of vitamins B2, C, E, carotenoids (α- and β-carotenoids) (high-performance UV chromatography). The study establishes, that the whole flax seeds contain 8.23±0.38% of polysaccharides, 438±53 mg/g of fatty oils (the main fatty acids are α-linoleic acid (234±47 mg/g), oleic acid (60±12 mg/g), and linoleic acid (61±12 mg/g)), 31.00±4.65 mg/100g of vitamin B2, 330.00±49.50 mg/100g of vitamin C, 19.60±2.94 mg/100g of vitamin E, and 10.30±1.55 mg/100g of carotenoids. Contents of 0.62±0.04% of polysaccharides, 2.85±0.43 µg/100 ml of vitamin B2, and 45.00±6.75 µg/100 ml of vitamin C are peculiar to the infusion. We have determined that the DS “Flax seeds oil in capsules” contents three major fatty acids. They are α-linoleic acid (234±47 mg/g), oleic acid (60±12 mg/g), linoleic acid (61±1 2mg/g), 27.00±4.05 mg/100g of vitamin E (summarized tocopherols in terms of tocopherol acetate), and 14.90±2.24 mg/100g of carotenoids. Contents of fatty oil in the “Dicloran ® Plus” drug is of 277±33 mg/g (the main fatty acids are α-linoleic acid (20±4 mg/g), oleic acid (6±1 mg/g), and linoleic acid (4±1 mg/g)) and 1.10±0.17 µg/100 g of vitamin E. Ratio of major fatty acids containing in the subjects, which consist of fatty flax seeds oils, are: α-linoleic acid: oleic acid: linoleic acid is 4:1:1 is peculiar. The received data is used to update current regulatory documentation and to introduce the new one to regulate quality of flax seeds and flax drugs.