Indian Council of Agricultural Research has taken steps to promote Linseed oil known as known as flaxseed oil, which has numerous health benefits for domestic cooking. Linseed oil was otherwise more suitable for industrial application as it contains high content of alpha-linolenic acid which reduces shelf life. Now ICAR has lowered its linolenic acid content and by blending with other edible oils, thus making it suitable for cooking. Cold pressed linseed oil’ can be used in preparation of several food items like banana chips, papad, pakoda, puri and bhaji.
Linseed helps in reducing the chances of cardiovascular diseases and it is the richest dietary source of “lignan” which acts as antioxidants in humans. With ever increasing imports of edible oil, government of India is looking at ways to utilize domestic production of edible oils and consumption.
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