Linola is the trademark name of solin, cultivated forms of

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

(''Linum usitatissimum'') bred for producing

linseed oil Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colourless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by ...

with a low

alpha-linolenic acid ''alpha''-Linolenic acid (ALA), also known as α-Linolenic acid (from Greek ''alpha'' meaning "first" and ''linon'' meaning flax), is an ''n''−3, or omega-3, essential fatty acid. ALA is found in many seeds and oils, including flaxseed, waln ...

content. Linola was developed in the early 1990s by the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...

(CSIRO). It was developed and released in Australia in 1992 and first commercially grown in 1994.CRS Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition - Order Code 97-905
Australian Linola

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

are named after Australian lakes.

Genesis

This variety was developed to provide a source of edible

with a low

(ALA) content of approximately 2%, as compared to 50% in the wild type variety. It was done to improve the storage quality of linseed when used as a bulk livestock feed. Linseed's previous main use had been linseed oil for use as a paint ingredient, with the ALA (

omega-3 fatty acid Omega−3 fatty acids, also called Omega-3 oils, ω−3 fatty acids or ''n''−3 fatty acids, are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) characterized by the presence of a double bond, three atoms away from the terminal methyl group in their chem ...

) being a quick drying component. With the advent of "plastic" water-based paints, the linseed market fell into decline, but when marketed as a stock feed, the omega-3 content also deteriorated quickly in storage. Compared to normal linseed, linola has a lower level of ALA, which increases the oxidative stability of the oil/seed, which means it remains edible much longer when stored. Linola has a correspondingly higher content of the

linoleic acid Linoleic acid (LA) is an organic compound with the formula COOH(CH2)7CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)4CH3. Both alkene groups are cis-trans isomerism, ''cis''. It is a fatty acid sometimes denoted 18:2 (n-6) or 18:2 ''cis''-9,12. A linoleate is a salt (chem ...

omega-6 fatty acid Omega-6 fatty acids (also referred to as ω-6 fatty acids or ''n''-6 fatty acids) are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon double bond in the ''n''-6 position, that is, the sixth bond, counting from ...

, around 65% to 75%. The seed colour was also changed from the wild type dark brown seed to a light yellow seed, which consequently gives an oil of a light colour, easily distinguished from the darker linseed oil.

Health Claims

Linola is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

. ~~Linola can specially help against neurodermatitis.~~ (No published scientific evidence was found to support this claim.)

Agricultural Distribution

Linola substitutes for flax in cropping rotations; it is claimed to have lower production costs than

canola Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, i ...

, but brings prices comparable to canola or other edible oils. Linola is produced in Australia,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and in the U.S. states of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. All Canadian

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s of Linola were deregistered for sale and use as of August 1, 2013.{{Cite web, url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/canada-western-solin-no-longer-regulated-as-of-august-1-2013-511373371.html, title=Canada Western Solin no longer regulated as of August 1, 2013, last=Canadian Grain Commission, date=, website=www.newswire.ca, language=en, url-status=live, archive-url=, archive-date=, access-date=2019-11-15

References

Flax