The American agribusiness group Archer Daniels Midland Co. announced on July 9 that it has agreed to produce and sell products developed from a complex fibre derived from flaxseed that could reduce the risks of diabetes, lupus and hardening of the arteries. According to ADM, the agreement with a research group in Canada gives ADM the right to produce and sell a flax lignin complex, or purified flax lignin, worldwide for use in pharmaceuticals, functional foods, animal feed and veterinary products. The processing of flaxseed, which ADM has been doing for 100 years, produces linseed oil and linseed meal. ADM reports that further meal processing makes lignin secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, or SDG, which could help treat several diseases. The group, called the Flax Consortium, is a collaboration between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Saskatoon Research Centre, the University of Saskatchewan Technologies Inc., and Dr. William Clark of the University of Western Ontario and the London Health Sciences Centre. The consortium was formed in 1995 to extract, purify, and study flax lignin for the prevention and treatment of diseases. The research has resulted in a number of process and use patents and patent applications licensed to ADM.
