Post by Trade facilitator on Jan 30, 2019 17:52:00 GMT 1
Linseed is the seed from the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum). The thin yellow or brown seed is processed for their nutritional value and high content of fibre and oil.
Linseed or flaxseed is an important traded commodity due to its
oil and nutrient benefits in many industries, like textiles, paper, and wood finishing products.
Market trends
The use of linseed as a nutritional and functional ingredient opens up opportunities in the niche market for health food products. The Omega-3 fatty acid content of linseed as well as its dietary fibres are regarded as beneficial to human health and gain increasing popularity.
Linseed and its oil are marketed as health-food products. The increasing awareness about health and wellbeing is driving the market demand for linseed across the globe. Linseeds can be used to make bread, cereal, cracker, energy bar, oil, snacks, and pet food.
Linseeds are increasingly being used for direct human consumption due to their nutritional value and health benefits (omega-3, fibre content).
The main market for human consumption of linseed can be found within the bakery and health food segments. It is widely used in baking and confectionery industries, while crushing the linseed produces both linseed oil and the fibre-rich linseed meal as by-product.
The use of linseeds (and linseed oil) in the food sector is relatively small when compared to the several industrial uses. Linseed oil is also used extensively as an ingredient in paints, varnishes and many other industrial products.
The demand for linseed follows the global development of the Omega-3 market.
The US, China, and some European countries, like Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, are the major importers of linseeds.
To export the product successfully to the importing countries, it must be meet the required standards, properly packaged and labelled.
