Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

There is a vast gap between researches on bioactivity of flaxseed mucilage (soluble dietary fibre/gum) and its application in food products, particularly in fermented dairy products. Flaxseed mucilage is a by-product/leftover that obtains after extraction of oil. Mucilage can be extracted from flaxseed as a good source of bioactive, allowing an exploitation of commercial applications of this biomolecule and providing the flaxseed industry with value-added bioproducts. Studies suggested that mucilage can be used as a stabilizer and thickening agent in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. Although studies showed benefits of flaxseed mucilage but the effect of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and prebiotic activity of mucilage in yogurt and kefir (yogurt drink) has never explored. Fundamental research needs to fully understand/confirm the benefits of flaxseed mucilage and how it incorporates in dairy products such as yogurt and kefir before introducing them into the Canadian market. The production and consumption of fermented milks have a long history and accepted world-wide. Yogurt and kefir are fermented dairy products and have been shown beneficial effect for human health and wellness. In Canada, production of yogurt was 149,851 tonnes in 2000 and 315,413 tonnes in 2012, indicating the total volume of yogurt sold increased by 45% between 2000 and 2012. Accordingly, flaxseed mucilage can have a potential in fermented dairy products to enhance bioactivity of these products and increase sustainability of Agri-Food in Canada.