Depletion of cyanogenic glycosides in whole flaxseed via Lactobacillaceae fermentation

Flaxseed is categorized as a functional food due to its abundance in oil, α-linolenic acid, dietary fibre, and lignan. However, flaxseed contains cyanogenic glycosides (CGs). Ingestion of CGs can influence nutrient absorption and induce adverse health effects. Due to the presence of CGs in flaxseed many countries prohibit the import and sale of flaxseed and flaxseed-based foods. In this study, whole flaxseed was fermented with a mixed culture of Lactobacillaceae (i.e., Lactobacillus sp., Limosilactobacillus sp., and Lactiplantibacillus sp.) and the concentration of CGs was determined. This process succeeded in completely removing CGs within 72 h in both bench-scale and scale-up studies. In addition, fatty acid composition in flaxseed remained unchanged and concentrations of flaxseed oil, and SDG in flaxseed were increased after fermentation. CG-free flaxseed products are beneficial, as they can be sold as health product ingredients, or as animal feed in markets that currently restrict the use of materials that contain CGs.