Silk is the exception, being formed as filament, which may be 500-2000 meter in length. Before the flax fibers can be spun into linen, they must be separated from the rest of the stalk. Europe and North America both depended on flax for plant-based cloth until the 19th century, when cotton overtook flax as the most common plant for making rag-based paper. This generally takes two or three weeks longer than pond retting, but the end product is less likely to be dirty, does not smell as bad, and because the water is cooler, is less likely to be over-retted. Under conditions similar to those found in commercial bakeries, trained sensory panelists could not detect differences between bread made with freshly ground flaxseed and bread made with flaxseed that had been milled four months earlier and stored at room temperature. Dyed flax fibers have been found that date to 30,000 BC. [25] Refrigeration and storage in sealed containers will keep ground flaxseed meal for a longer period before it turns rancid. The soils most suitable for flax, besides the alluvial kind, are deep loams containing a large proportion of organic matter. [26] If packed immediately without exposure to air and light, milled flaxseed is stable against excessive oxidation when stored for nine months at room temperature,[27] and under warehouse conditions, for 20 months at ambient temperatures. Scum collects at the top, and an odor is given off the same as in pond retting. Flax straw that is not of sufficient quality for fiber uses can be baled to build shelters for farm animals, or sold as biofuel, or removed from the field in the spring.[50]. Scutching scrapes the outer straw from the fiber. [4] Some of these are perennial plants, unlike L. usitatissimum, which is an annual plant. Introduction to the use of flax fibres as a composite material reinforcement. The farmers turn over the straw during retting to evenly rett the stalks. Flax processing is divided into two parts: the first part is generally done by the farmer, to bring the flax fiber into a fit state for general or common purposes. After this, the flax is allowed to dry, the seeds are removed, and it is then retted. As opposed to natural fibres, filament production in synthetic fibres is brought about by the spinning process which is either wet or dry. Heavy clays are unsuitable, as are soils of a gravelly or dry sandy nature. This is not an issue in meal cake due to the processing temperature during oil extraction. Its oil is known as linseed oil. Resembles flax; more coarse and stiffer Flax linen is a natural fiber, know for its vibration dampening properties. Routledge, p. 124, Buchanan R. (2012) "A Weaver's Garden: Growing Plants for Natural Dyes and Fibers". The plants then pass over the machine and is placed on the field crosswise to the harvesters direction of travel. Flax is much stiffer due to the cement that holds the fiber bundle together. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Help support true facts by becoming a member. Flax for fiber production is usually harvested by a specialized flax harvester. Flax stem, fiber, yarn and woven and knitted linen textiles. Flax fibre is characterised by high rigidity and vibration absorption and low density (1.4 p (g/cm³)) compared to glass fibre (2.54 p (g/cm³)) and other composite fibres. [5][6][7] Humans first domesticated flax in the Fertile Crescent region. [15] Eventually, Flanders became the major center of the European linen industry in the Middle Ages. Thread is produced using the small wheel often called a flax wheel. Although it may increase the omega-3 content in eggs and meat, it is also an inferior and potentially toxic feed for poultry, although it can be used in small amounts. A distaff is a tool which keeps the fibers separated and properly aligned during spinning. [19], Flaxseeds occur in two basic varieties/colors: brown or yellow (golden linseeds). 0 0 1 ... , or made from synthetic fibres or combinations of natural fibres and synthetic fibres. [31] Sheep feeding on low quality forage are able to eat a large amount of linseed meal, up to 40% in one test, with positive consequences. [19][31], Flax straw left over from the harvesting of oilseed is not very nutritious; it is tough and indigestible, and is not recommended to use as ruminant fodder, although it may be used as bedding or baled as windbreaks.[31]. Cotton is the most common natural fibers in our daily life. This can be performed by three machines: one for threshing out the seed, one for breaking and separating the straw (stem) from the fiber, and one for further separating the broken straw and matter from the fiber. This plant really loves CO 2.With a little help of the sun, flax plants on one hectare absorb more than a 3,7 metric tons of carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen. The bases of the plants begin to turn yellow. The plants are left in the field for field retting. [56] Subsequently, deregistered in 2010 and never grown commercially in Canada or the U.S.,[57] 'Triffid' stores were destroyed, but future exports and further tests at the University of Saskatchewan proved that 'Triffid' persisted among flax crops, possibly affecting future crops. The stems are then pulled through "hackles", which act like combs to remove the straw and some shorter fibers out of the long fiber. The breaking breaks up the straw. Several methods are used for retting flax. Since then, flax has lost its importance as a commercial crop, due to the easy availability of more durable fibres. [19], Linseed meal is added to cattle feed as a protein supplement. The flax plant turned over and is gripped by rubber belts roughly 20â25 cm (8-10") above ground, to avoid getting grasses and weeds in the flax. This is a natural plant that generally has a more eco friendly growing and harvesting stage than say for example cotton, or compared to the making a synthetic fibre like polyester. [28], After crushing the seeds to extract linseed oil, the resultant linseed meal is a protein-rich feed for ruminants, rabbits, and fish. The plant is pulled up with the roots (not cut), so as to increase the fiber length. Flax fiber is 10–100 cm in length. Consequently, such fibres have long been used for textiles and rope making. [44] Like many common foods, flax contains small amounts of cyanogenic glycoside,[45] which is nontoxic when consumed in typical amounts, but may be toxic when consumed in large quantities as with staple foods such as cassava. [32] Industrial-scale flax fiber processing existed in antiquity. Moreover, flax fibers are used to make linen. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. Linen is a Natural material made from the fiber of flax. The specific epithet, usitatissimum, means "most useful".[18]. The meal is an adequate and traditional source of protein for rabbits at 8-10%. Its low abrasion is also a strength not to be denied. Separating the usable flax fibers from other components requires pulling the stems through a hackle and/or beating the plants to break them. [11], Flax was cultivated extensively in ancient Egypt, where the temple walls had paintings of flowering flax, and mummies were embalmed using linen. Three phenolic glucosides â secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, p-coumaric acid glucoside, and ferulic acid glucoside â are present in commercial breads containing flaxseed. For the production of yarn, a chemical solution is used in synthetics fibres. Although brown flaxseed varieties may be consumed as readily as the yellow ones, and have been for thousands of years, its better-known uses are in paints, for fiber, and for cattle feed. Stream retting is similar to pool retting, but the flax is submerged in bundles in a stream or river. To remove this, the flax is "broken", the straw is broken up into small, short bits, while the actual fiber is left unharmed. As a result of alternating rain and the sun, an enzymatic action degrades the pectins which bind fibers to the straw. PHI Learning Private Limited, New Delhi, p. 76, Wisseman S. (2013) "Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials". The amount of weeds in the straw affects its marketability, and this, coupled with market prices, determines whether the farmer chooses to harvest the flax straw. [19] It is also often used as feed for swine and poultry, and has also been used in horse concentrate and dog food. (d) The common name of coconut fibre is coir. It is used for the protection of silkworms. Dressing the flax is the process of removing the straw from the fibers. If the water is any colder, it takes longer. The earliest evidence of humans using wild flax as a textile comes from the present-day Republic of Georgia, where spun, dyed, and knotted wild flax fibers found in Dzudzuana Cave date to the Upper Paleolithic, 30 thousand years ago. Linola was developed in Australia and introduced in the 1990s with less omega-3, specifically to serve as fodder. [41] Another meta-analysis has shown that consumption of flaxseed for more than 12 weeks produced small reductions in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Two ways are used to harvest flax fiber, one involving mechanized equipment (combines), and a second method, more manual and targeting maximum fiber length. They began growing fibre flax in 2011 after hosting a natural fibre symposium on their farm that year, which got them interested in how fibre flax might … GRN 000280", "Geographical and seasonal association between linamarin and cyanide exposure from cassava and the upper motor neurone disease konzo in former Zaire", "Grow and Harvest Flax - Materials Matter 2016", "Flax (linseed) production in 2018; Crops/Regions/World List/Production Quantity (from pick lists)", "The last straw: nine ways to handle flax straw", "Flax growers try to flush Triffid from system", "Sampling and Testing Protocol for Canadian Flaxseed Exported to the European Union", "Canada moves to revive flax exports after GMO flap", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flax&oldid=998662131, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from May 2020, All articles needing additional references, Srpskohrvatski / ÑÑпÑÐºÐ¾Ñ ÑваÑÑки, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 January 2021, at 12:47. When dried sufficiently, a combine then harvests the seeds similar to wheat or oat harvesting. All these materials are less harmful to the environment and easily available. Dressing consists of three steps: breaking, scutching, and heckling. Threshing is the process of removing the seeds from the rest of the plant. In early versions of the Sleeping Beauty tale, such as "Sun, Moon, and Talia" by Giambattista Basile, the princess pricks her finger, not on a spindle, but on a sliver of flax, which later is sucked out by her children conceived as she sleeps. What is the composition of flax? Longer fiber - finer and stronger Ex of long staple) Pima cotton, Egyptian cotton ... similar to flax very strong fiber, especially when wet. Flax fiber is a raw material used in the high-quality paper industry for the use of printed banknotes, laboratory paper (blotting and filter), rolling paper for cigarettes, and tea bags.[34]. Flax and jute are the natural fibres obtained from plants. [19], Raw, immature linseeds contain an amount of cyanogenic compounds and can be dangerous for monogastric animals such as horses or rabbits. Flax seeds may be useful as a part of a weight loss diet. Heuzé V., Tran G., Nozière P., Lessire M., Lebas F., 2017. (a) flax Flax is a vegetable fibre, and all vegetable fibres have cellulose as their structural material. Linseed meal, the by-product of producing linseed oil from flax seeds, is used as livestock fodder. Solvent-processed flaxseed oil has been used for many centuries as a drying oil in painting and varnishing.[23]. Contemporary researchers have specified that natural flax fiber is comparable with synthetic fibers due to its unique physical and mechanical characteristics which have been recognized for decades. Flaxseeds contain several beneficial components, including high levels of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and lignans. Metal containers will not work, as an acid is produced when retting, and it would corrode the metal. [29][30] In the US, flax-based feed for ruminants is often somewhat more expensive than other feeds on a nutrient basis. Short Answer Type Questions (15) Ans: Two types of fibres are (a) Natural fibres and (b) Synthetic fibres. Flax, hemp, jute, and kenaf are characterized by a high proportion of long, flexible bast fibres that are readily separated and purified from the other materials in the plant. It's a natural fibre! The mature plant can also be cut with mowing equipment, similar to hay harvesting, and raked into windrows. An exception is a type of yellow flax called solin (trade name "Linola"),[21] which has a completely different oil profile and is very low in omega-3s (alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), specifically). Both pond and stream retting were traditionally used less because they pollute the waters used for the process. A. nylon B. flax C. acrylic D. polyester Answer: B. flax Flax is a blue-flowered herbaceous plant that is cultivated for its seed and for textile fiber made from its stalks. The amount of flax that we need for our annual production equals more than 7.000 acres (= 3.000 km²), absorbing more than 11.000 metric tons of CO2 a year. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in cooler regions of the world. [51], Retting can also be done in a plastic trash can or any type of water-tight container of wood, concrete, earthenware, or plastic. Though flax has lost some of its value as a commercial fibre crop owing to the availability of synthetic fibres, flaxseed has grown in popularity as a health food, and flax remains economically significant in a number of countries around the world, including China, Russia, and Canada. Flax fibre is made from plant Linum usitatissimum. Most of this fibre reaching the paper industry in the past has been secondary or waste fibre. Flax fiber is extracted from the bast beneath the surface of the stem of the flax plant. [15] In North America, colonists introduced flax, and it flourished there,[16] but by the early 20th century, cheap cotton and rising farm wages had caused production of flax to become concentrated in northern Russia, which came to provide 90% of the world's output. A combine harvester may either cut only the heads of the plants, or the whole plant. [3] The plants called "flax" in New Zealand are, by contrast, members of the genus Phormium. Flax is the emblem of Northern Ireland and displayed by the Northern Ireland Assembly. One study of research published between 1990 and 2008 showed that consuming flaxseed or its derivatives may reduce total and LDL-cholesterol in the blood, with greater benefits in women and those with high cholesterol. A linen handkerchief with drawn thread work around the edges. [29] The high omega-3 fatty acid (ALA) content of linseed meal "softens" milk, eggs or meat, which means it causes a higher unsaturated fat content and thus lowers its storage time. Flax is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. Question 63. The reinforcement of polymers by natural fibres makes it possible to propose a new class of composite materials (natural fibre composites, NFCs) that are distinguished from synthetic fibre composites (SFCs) by their lightness and a lower environmental impact. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. This form of retting also produces quite an odor. According to some reports, it uses less water and uses less energy than the production of cotton. Wool … Princeton University Press, p.12, Cullis C. (2007) "Oilseeds" Springer, p. 275, Sekhri S. (2011) "Textbook of Fabric Science: Fundamentals to Finishing". Some of the straw is scraped from the fibers in the scutching process, and finally, the fiber is pulled through heckles to remove the last bits of straw. The first step in this process is retting, which is the process of rotting away the inner stalk, leaving the outer parts intact. In addition to referring to the plant itself, the word "flax" may refer to the unspun fibers of the flax plant. Its diameter varies from 40 to 80 μm. [29] Compared to oilseed meal from crucifers it measures as having lower nutrient values,[19] however, good results are obtained in cattle, perhaps due to the mucilage, which may aid in slowing digestion and thus allowing more time to absorb nutrients. In a 100-gram serving, flaxseed contains high levels (> 19% of the Daily Value, DV) of protein, dietary fiber, several B vitamins, and dietary minerals. [22], Flaxseeds produce a vegetable oil known as flaxseed oil or linseed oil, which is one of the oldest commercial oils. [57] Canadian flaxseed cultivars were reconstituted with 'Triffid'-free seed used to plant the 2014 crop. If the water temperature is kept at 80 °F (27 °C), the retting process under these conditions takes 4 or 5 days. Linen cloth recovered from Qumran Cave 1 near the Dead Sea. [19] The high omega-3 content also has a further disadvantage, because this fatty acid oxidises and goes rancid quickly, which shortens the storage time. Flax also represents Northern Ireland on the badge of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and on various logos associated with it. (c) Terylene is a synthetic fibre but flax is a natural fibre. It generally takes place in a shallow pool which will warm up dramatically in the sun; the process may take from a few days to a few weeks. It might also act as a substitute to tallow in increasing marbling. Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, Linum usitatissimum, in the family Linaceae. China, India, Egypt, Peru, Brazil, … Flax fibers taken from the stem of the plant are two to three times as strong as cotton fibers. Flax grown for seed is allowed to mature until the seed capsules are yellow and just starting to split; it is then harvested in various ways. [20] Most types of these basic varieties have similar nutritional characteristics and equal numbers of short-chain omega-3 fatty acids. [42] Flaxseed supplementation showed a small reduction in c-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) only in persons with a BMI greater than 30. Linseed meal. At this point, straw, or coarse outer stem (cortex and epidermis), is still remaining. Pond retting is the fastest. [19][29] One study found that feeding flax seeds may increase omega-3 content in beef, while another found no differences. (2003) "The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History, Volume 1" Oxford University Press, p.303. Many health conditions, including constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and … Linen now represents less than 1% of global fiber production according to the CFDA (I can’t find the primary source for that number but it jives with what I know about the share of other fibers) and is so rare and costly to make compared to other textiles that it is considered a close-to luxury fabric. The plant species is known only as a cultivated plant,[2] and appears to have been domesticated just once from the wild species Linum bienne, called pale flax. If the plants are still green, the seed will not be useful, and the fiber will be underdeveloped. It is a natural, cellulosic, multi-cellular bast fiber. Which of the following is not a synthetic fibre? As a percentage of total fat, flaxseeds contain 54% omega-3 fatty acids (mostly ALA), 18% omega-9 fatty acids (oleic acid), and 6% omega-6 fatty acids (linoleic acid); the seeds contain 9% saturated fat, including 5% as palmitic acid. [40], A meta-analysis has shown that consumption of more than 30 g of flaxseed daily for more than 12 weeks reduced body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference for persons with a BMI greater than 27. The second part of the process brings the flax into a state for the very finest purposes, such as lace, cambric, damask, and very fine linen. The plant species is known only as a cultivated plant, and appear… These are then dried to extract the seed. Boiling removes the danger. Fiber bundle consists of many individual fibers of about 25 to 40 mm in length (fiber ultimate) which are cemented together by a mixture of lignin, pectin and hemicelluloses. Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. It is stronger than cotton fiber, but less elastic. [36][37] Ten grams of flaxseed contains one gram of water-soluble fiber (which lowers blood cholesterol) and three grams of insoluble fiber (which helps prevent constipation). Farming flax requires few fertilizers or pesticides. Courier Dover Publications, p. 22. Linen is very strong and absorbent and dries faster than cotton. When the straw is retted and sufficiently dry, it is rolled up. It is also known as common flax or linseed. The raw materials used to manufacture natural-fibre composites are environment-friendly and have the potential to replace synthetic fibres over the coming years. [36][37] Flaxseed oil contains 53% 18:3 omega-3 fatty acids (mostly ALA) and 13% 18:2 omega-6 fatty acids.
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