Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) and oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) can provide a complete and balanced source of fatty acids. The nutritional quality
of linseed is given by the oil quality which conteins ω-3 and ω-9 fatty acids and
the pleasant taste while oil hemp although has an optimal ratio of 3:1 between the
ω-6/ω-3 fatty acids, because of the national legislation has limited use in Romania.
The biological material used consisted of two linseed varieties (Floriana and Alexin),
one monoecious (Diana) and one dioecious (Silvana) hemp variety. All varieties are
authorized in our country, according to the Official Catalogue of varieties of crop
plants in Romania. The Soxhlet method with a Velp block of mineralization was used
to determine the oil content of the studied varietes and for the investigation of
fatty acid profile was used the gas chromatography GC-MS whit Shimadzu GC MS QP 2010.The
study aims to investigate the fatty acid composition in linseed and oil hemp in order
to obtain an overall picture about their nutritional suitability, from the point of
view of fatty acids.The fatty acids separated and identified from the linseed and
hemp oil were: alpha-linolenic acid (ω-3), linoleic acid (ω-6), oleic acid (ω-9),
palmitic acid and stearic acid. Linseed and oil hemp are highly suitable dicotyledonous
crops for the human health because of the fatty acid profile.
