Nutritional characterization and discrimination of linseed varieties using multivariate statistical analysis

This study provides a comparative analysis of linseed varieties, specifically examining two high-yielding varieties
(DLV6 and DLV7) alongside a local variety (BL) focusing on their nutritional attributes. DLV6 and DLV7
demonstrated superior physico-chemical properties and bioactive compounds, such as dietary fiber (34.59 %
-40.61 %), secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (19.24–24.92 mg/g) and diverse phenolic compounds. Fatty acid
compositional analyses revealed that DLV6 exhibited exceptional lipid health indices such as total unsaturated
fatty acids (87.46 %), MUFA/PUFA ratio (0.38), PUFA/SFA (5.02), oleic desaturation ratio (0.43), atherogenicity
index (0.14), thrombogenicity index (0.07), oxidability (12.38), hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic
index (12.09) and peroxidisability index (113.62). To highlight differences in the nutritional composition of
linseed varieties, multivariate statistical analyses including principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical
clustering and correlation analysis were carried out. PCA accounted for 100 % of the total variability, with two
components explaining 64.23 % and 35.77 % variance, respectively. High yielding varieties were positioned at
higher positive end and were distinct from the local variety. These analyses confirm that high yielding varieties
outperformed the local variety in all nutritional metrics, underscoring their potential as nutrient-dense choices
for balanced diets.