Dehulling Characteristics of Selected Flaxseed Varieties

Dehulling characteristics of six different flaxseed varieties namely Shikha, Rashmi, Shekhar, Sweta, Padmini and Neelam at different residence times (40, 50 and 60 s) were investigated using dry dehulling. The dried flaxseed samples were dehulled in a laboratory model abrasive dehuller (rice polisher) and various dehulling parameters were determined. It was found that dehulling parameters namely embryo recovery, extraction rate, yield, hull and hullability were affected by residence time and varietal characteristics. The embryo recovery, extraction rate, yield, hull and hullability for studied varieties of flaxseed and residence time were 23.71 ± 0.77–61.35 ± 0.94 %, 58.26 ± 2.20–79.11 ± 0.43 %, 22.96 ± 0.44–43.85 ± 1.38 %, 16.83 ± 1.75–61.54 ± 5.11 % and 45.92 ± 0.51–90.62 ± 2.85 % (dry basis), respectively. Among the studied flaxseed varieties, Padmini and Neelam varieties were found suitable for dehulling purposes at 60 s residence time. The dehulled flaxseed (embryo), thus obtained, can be utilized for obtaining the good quality edible oil and meal for human consumption and hull as lignin-rich product.