Lignans are a plant-based bioactive compounds classified under the polyphenol family.
They are found in a variety of whole foods including seeds, grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, with the highest concentrations
found in flaxseeds.
Lignans are often considered as phytoestrogens because they have a chemical structure similar to estrogen and can bind to estrogen receptors in
the body.
Consuming foods rich in lignans is thought to provide several health benefits.
Their phytoestrogen activity allows them to influence hormone balance in the body, which may have implications for diseases such
as breast cancer and prostate cancer. They also have antioxidant properties, meaning they can help to
neutralize harmful free radicals in the body. Some research suggests that a diet high in lignans may be
beneficial for heart health and could potentially help to reduce the risk of certain other diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
Examples of some lignans found in seeds are listed below:
Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) - This is the primary lignan found in
flaxseeds and is one of the most commonly consumed lignans in a typical Western diet. It is broken down in the body into the mammalian lignans
enterodiol and enterolactone, which can exert various biological effects.
Pinoresinol and lariciresinol - These lignans are found in sunflower seeds and
poppy seeds and
are metabolized into enterolignans in the body.
Sesamin and Sesamolin - These are specific lignans found in sesame seeds.
Sesamin has been studied for a variety of potential health benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects and potential benefits for heart health.
Matairesinol - This lignan is present in the seeds of several plants, including
flax, seasme, rye, pumpkin, and sunflower.
The extraction process, including the solvents and methods used, can influence the concentration and types of lignans present in the final extract.
It is often the case that a balance needs to be found between fully-extracting all lignans while also ensuring that the compounds that are
obtained are of a high quality and not degraded.
At Celignis we have extensive experience in the design and optimisation of extraction protocols for a wide variety of chemical constituents from
many different biomass types. If needed we can also work on processes to separate and purify the target compounds.
Click here to read more about Celignis's Bioprocess Development Services for the extraction of
chemicals from biomass.
Celignis will be presenting their outputs from the first 12-months of the project
Celignis's Oscar and Fernando are today attending the 12-month review meeting of our CBE-JU research project MANUREFINERY. The event is taking place at the facility of project partner ENCO in Naples, Italy.
MANUREFINERY, entitled "Smart modular mobile biorefining of manure to zero-waste maximising resource recovery for feed and fertiliser bioingredients in rural areas" is one of the 7 ongoing CBE-JU projects that Celignis is currently involved in. Click here to read more about these projects.
Today we welcomed our partners from the EnXylaScope project to Limerick for the final in-person meeting of the project. The event is being held at the Limerick Strand Hotel and will include a tour of Celignis's Bioprocess and Analytical facilities.
EnXylaScope has been a hugely successful project, leading to multiple innovations in enzyme discovery and biomass processing, with Celignis making impactful developments in technologies for xylan extraction and modification. The project's success has led to a number of follow-on projects (BIONEER and PROMOFER) that involve demonstration of these technologies at higher TRL levels.
Lalitha Presents our EnXylaScope Work at EUBCE 2025
Event takes place in Valencia Spain
Lalitha is today presenting the outputs of our EnXylaScope project at the 34th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE) which is being held in Valencia, Spain.
The presentation, entitled "EnXylaScope: Unleashing xylan's potential with enzymes for a scope of consumer products", will provide a wide-ranging overview of the project which is now in its 4th year.
Today we registered sample number 50,000 on our internal LIMS system. Over the years we have analysed every kind of biomass sample imagineable and we look forward to achieving further milestones in the future as we continue to grow and expand our operations.
Will play a key role as our "Mechanical Engineer for Scaled-up Bioprocesses"
Today the Celignis family welcomed Dileep Raveendran-Nair to the fold. Dileep is a Mechanical Engineer with over 11 years of hands-on experience in biofuel, biochar, and bioproduct process engineering. His career has focused on the operation, maintenance, and optimization of large-scale bioprocess and bioenergy systems, integrating engineering precision with biotechnological innovation to advance sustainable industrial application.
At Celignis he will play a key-role ("Mechanical Engineer for Scaled-up Bioprocesses") in the development of our bioprocessing capabilities as we increase the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of our bioprocessing facility to TRL7 and cubic-metre reactors.
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