Variation in the Content of Cyanogenic Glycosides in Flaxseed Meal from Twenty-One Varieties

Roberto Russo,Remo Reggiani

doi:10.4236/fns.2014.515159

Abstract

Flaxseed meal from twenty-one varieties has been evaluated for content of cyanogenic glycosides (linamarin, linustatin and neolinustatin). Varieties belonging to three different groups of productive attitude (oil, fiber and intermediate) were considered. The total content of cyanogenic glycosides ranged from 0.74 to 1.60 g?Kg?1 CN?. As expected, linamarin was a minority component accounting for only 2% - 14% of total glycosides. Linustatin resulted statistically lower in the intermediate group than that in the other groups and, in particular, it was the lowest in the Festival variety. Neolinustatin resulted lower in the fiber group although the variety Ventimiglia (belonging to oil group) showed a negligible level of this compound. Neolinustatin was positively correlated to total cyanogenic glycosides (r = 0.709) and inversely correlated to linustatin (r = ?0.326). The variability observed in the content of the various forms of glycosides could be exploited in breeding programs to reduce the content of these toxic compounds in flaxseed meal.

Highlights

The cyanogenic glycosides (CG) are secondary plant metabolites that are composed of an α-hydroxynitriles type aglycone and a sugar moiety [1]
The CG in linseeds are the main toxic compounds that reduce its use in animal feed [9]
We found a significant variability among flax varieties in the content of both total CG and the three different molecular species of glycosides (Figure 2, Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

The cyanogenic glycosides (CG) are secondary plant metabolites that are composed of an α-hydroxynitriles type aglycone and a sugar moiety (glucose or gentiobiose) [1]. These toxic molecules are synthesized from different amino acids and, through a tonoplast glycosyltransferase, accumulated in vacuoles [2] [3]. How to cite this paper: Russo, R. and Reggiani, R. Reggiani by β-glucosidase and α-hydroxynitrile lyase [1]. Cyanide is toxic to humans and animals due to its ability to link with iron, manganese or copper ions that are functional groups of many enzymes including those involved in the reduction of oxygen in the cytochrome respiratory chain. Acute intoxications are characterized by symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, headache, dizziness, difficulty in vision, hyperpnoea, arrhythmias and may results in collapse and death [4]

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Conclusion