The Effect of Adding Variations of

Flaxseed to a Smoothie Recipe

Sydnie Leroy
December 3, 2015

Research Objectives

To determine what would be the effect of adding

flaxseed oil, ground flaxseed, and whole flaxseed
to a smoothie on taste, texture, and viscosity.

Hypothesis:
Directional There will be a significant change in
viscosity and texture when adding flaxseed oil, ground
flaxseed, or whole flaxseed when added to a smoothie,
respectively
Non- Directional There will be a slight difference in
taste and general acceptability when adding flaxseed
oil, ground flaxseed, and whole flax seed to the
smoothie.

Background

Flaxseed has been part of a healthy diet and

herbal medicines for centuries

omega-3 fatty acids used to manage and prevent

diseases including type 2 diabetes, kidney disease,
rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, coronary
heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer disease, alcoholism
and certain types of cancers
alpha linolenic acid may be protective against
cancers and is heart healthy

Smoothies- fruit based beverage that typically

includes low-fat dairy base

Proven to be a great way to get children to consume

a healthy food without their knowledge

Background

Yuka et al. (2015) significant decrease in the sdLDL of the participants consuming 10g of Flaxseed
oil daily, but no difference in the group who
consumed corn oil (due to ALA)

Shanmugam and Ashokkumar (2015) found

adding flaxseed oil to carrot juice did not change
viscosity

Zong et al (2013) found lower ratio of n-3:n-6 in

patients consuming flaxseed (beneficial for heart
health)

Many studies looking to replace the flour in baked

goods with ground flaxseed

Methods

Sample 10-20 18-30 year olds who do not

smoke or have a cold (actually had 9)

Instrumentation

Line Spread Test to determine difference in

viscosity between samples

Scorecards to determine subjective differences in

taste and texture

Measurement tools to ensure standardization

(base smoothie recipe + 1 TBS of whole flaxseed
or ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil)

Results
Table 4.1 Average Rating
of Smoothie Textures

Table 4.4 Line Spread Test

Results

7
6
5

4
3
2

1
0
1

10

12

14

16

18

Table 4.2 Rank

Order Results
1- 25% of subjects
chose this as their
preference

1; 25%

Gritty, Hard
1
2
3

3; 63%

2; 13%

2- 12% of subjects
chose this as their
preference
Thick, chunky
3- 63% of subjects
chose this as their
preference
Smooth, Creamy

Discussion
Perceived taste had no correlation with
texture
The sample with flaxseed oil was rated
overwhelmingly as the most preferable
Actual viscosity did not influence perceived
texutre
Conclusions

Flaxseed oil could be added to foods like

smoothies to increase nutritional value
Possible future research is to determine at
what point the food becomes undesirable due
to the amount of oil added

References
Jiqu,

X., Hui, G., Li, Z., Chang, C., Wei, Y., Qianchun, D., & ... Fenghong, H. (2014). A combination of
flaxseed oil and astaxanthin alleviates atherosclerosis risk factors in high fat diet fed rats.Lipids In Health
& Disease,13(1), 1-15. doi:10.1186/1476-511X-13-63
Katate, C., Saxina, S., Agrawal, S., Prasad, G., & Bison, P. (2012). Flax Seed: A potential Medicinal
Food.Journal of Nutritional Food Science,2(1). Retrieved September 25, 2015.
Koslo, J. (2015). The 21-Day Healthy Smoothie Plan: Invigorating Smoothies & Daily Support for Wellness &
Weight Loss (p. 180). Arcas Publishing.
McWilliams, M. (2012). Foods experimental perspectives (7th ed.) (V. R. Anthony, Ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.
Mentes, ., Bakkalbassi, E., & Ercan, R. (2008). Effect of the Use of Ground Flaxseed on Quality and
Chemical Composition of Bread.Food Science & Technology International,14(4), 299-306.
doi:10.1177/1082013208097192
Pinkaew, S., Wegmuller, R., Wasantwisut, E., Winichagoon, P., Hurrell, R., & Tanumihardjo, S. (2014). TripleFortified Rice Containing Vitamin A Reduced Marginal Vitamin A Deficiency and Increased Vitamin A Liver
Stores in School-Aged Thai Children. The Journal of Nutrition, 144(4), 519-524. Retrieved September 22,
2015.
Shanmugam, A., & Ashokkumar, M. (2015). Characterization of Ultrasonically Prepared Flaxseed oil Enriched
Beverage/Carrot Juice Emulsions and Process-Induced Changes to the Functional Properties of Carrot
Juice.Food & Bioprocess Technology,8(6), 1258-1266. doi:10.1007/s11947-015-1492-1
Yuka, K., Hisami, Y., Yuko, N., Masae, S., Yutaka, T., & Eiji, T. (2015). Flaxseed oil intake reduces serum
small dense low-density lipoprotein concentrations in Japanese men: a randomized, double blind, crossover
study.Nutrition Journal,14(1), 1-9. doi:10.1186/s12937-015-0023-2
Zong, G., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Wu, H., & Lin, X. (2013). Effects of flaxseed supplementation on
erythrocyte fatty acids and multiple cardiometabolic biomarkers among Chinese with risk factors of
metabolic syndrome.European Journal OfNutrition,52(5), 1547-1551. doi:10.1007/s00394-012-0461-y