L.) has gained prominence in China, primarily attributed to its exceptional nutraceutical profile. However, defatted flaxseed meal is a major by-product that remains significantly underutilized, whose endogenous bioactive compounds (e.g., lignans, gum, cyclolinopeptide, and protein) deserve to be exploited for value-added utilization. The comprehensive utilization potential of flaxseed meals remains largely unexplored, thereby posing a critical challenge for sustainable agricultural development and circular economy implementation. Whereas prior reviews have predominantly examined individual flaxseed components regarding extraction, bioactivity, or applications, few have integrated these perspectives under a unified biorefinery framework to advance meal upcycling from waste to functional ingredients. Considering the zero-waste biorefinery concept, flaxseed meal could be upcycled into functional ingredients to accomplish Sustainable Development Goals. This review outlines the research progress on value-added processing of the main bioactive components in flaxseed meals to maximize their food and nutritional applications, including their basic properties, conventional and innovative extractions, and promising biological activities for further applications. Moreover, the challenges facing the comprehensive utilization of flaxseed meals were identified by considering food safety and consumer acceptability. In addition, suggestions for future industrial development are proposed to reduce food waste with additional revenue streams.
Wang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.