Linseed Mucilage Yield: Influence of Variety, Seed Fractionation, and Growing Season

Increasing demand for eco-friendly biopolymers requires expanding species’ genotype bases through targeted breeding and detailed screening. The amount and quality of mucilage depend on environmental conditions and on genotype. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of nine oil-type flax varieties, seed fractionation (seeds sorted according to their thickness), and cultivation year on the yield of fresh (FLSM) and lyophilised (LLSM) linseed mucilage. Agram and Astella were characterised by low production of FLSM and LLSM. Lola, Agriol, and Raciol had high levels of LLSM and FLSM production. Libra had high production of FLSM and low production of LLSM. A statistically significant difference in the amount of FLSM and LLSM between the small and large seed fractions was not observed. The results confirmed that the growing season influenced the weight of FLSM but not LLSM. However, differences in the growing season were observed between varieties. The results highlight that some morphological traits in linseeds (solidity, small size of seed, and area of seed) can serve as indicators of lyophilised mucilage production. Differences in the morphological structure of the lyophilised mucilage on macro- and microscopic levels were observed. Our study highlights the need for detailed screening of the flax genetic resources, given the enormous potential of linseed mucilage and its properties.