This study was undertaken to examine the effects that consumption of eggs from hens fed diets containing flaxseed would have on plasma and platelet lipids of male volunteers. Feeding diets containing 0%, 10%, and 20% ground flaxseed to Leghorn pullets provided a marked progressive increase in n-3 fatty acid content as alpha-linolenic acid (alpha-LNA) (28, 261, and 527 mg/egg) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (51, 81, and 87 mg/egg) but no alteration in the cholesterol concentration of the egg yolk. Twenty-eight male volunteers, divided into three groups, were fed four eggs per day for 2 wk according to a cyclic Latin-square design. No statistically significant changes were observed in total cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, or plasma triglyceride concentrations. Significant increases in total n-3 fatty acids and in DHA content (which rose from 1.5 to 2.0% by wt or 33% overall), and a significant decrease in ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids were found in platelet phospholipids of subjects consuming eggs from flaxseed-fed hens. Health and Welfare Canada in 1990 set recommended intakes for dietary n-3 fatty acids and for the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids, which are not being met currently by the overall population. Eggs modified by the inclusion of flaxseed in the laying hens' diet could provide an important nutritional source of n-3 fatty acid.

The rheological behavior of unflavored, whole soybean milk was evaluated. The standard University of Illinois beverage was adequately described by the general power law equation. The soy milk displayed pseudoplastic flow behavior and was mildly thixotropic. The consistency coefficient of the soy beverage decreased with increasing temperature but the flow behavior index was unaltered at higher temperatures. At higher solids levels the apparent viscosity and degree of pseudoplasticity of the beverage increased. Inclusion of soybean hulls in the beverage caused higher apparent viscosity than observed in beverages made from dehulled cotyledons. The doubly homogenized beverage had lower apparent viscosity and greater adherence to Newtonian behavior than the singly homogenized beverage. Beverages prepared from cotyledons blanched in 0.25% NaHCO, had higher apparent viscosities and were more pseudoplastic than beverages prepared from cotyledons blanched in an acid solution or in tap water.

The emulsifying properties of phosvitin dissolved in water and 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 M NaCl were determined from pH 3 to 10. The change in its emulsifying activity (BA) with pH was slight but significant (~~0.05) and emulsion stability (ES) was relatively high (68-73%), except at pH 5 (17%) and 10 (48%). The EA of phosvitin was higher than that of bovine serum albumin (BSA) at pH 3 or 8 and ES was higher than BSA at all pH levels except at pH 5 and 10. Added NaCl decreased in the EA of phosvitin at pH 3 and 10 and decreased the ES between pH 3 and 9. Increased instability of emulsions resulted mainly in coalescence of oil droplets at NaCl B 0.5M. Salt increased the viscosity of phosvitin emulsion only at pH 3 but not at pH > 5. The viscosities of BSA emulsions were higher than those of phosvitin at pH 3, 5 or 8. effect of pH and sodium chloride on the EA, ES and viscosity of phosvitin emulsions, using BSA as a reference protein. The instability of the emulsions was described in terms of creaming and coalescence. Materials MATERIALS & METHODSPhosvitin and BSA were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Sodium dodecyl sulfate was from Bio-Rad Laboratories (Richmond, CA) and sodium chloride was from Fisher Scientific Co. (Fair Lawn; NJ). Corn oil (lOO%), manufactured by Best Foods Canada, Inc. (Etobicoke, Ontario), was from a local grocery store.

The effects of protein concentration (O.l-2.0%), oil volume fraction (O-17-0.67), mixing speed (lO,OOO-22,000 rpm) and mixing time (OS-8 min) on the emulsifying properties of phosvitin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were compared. Emulsifying activity and emulsion stability increased with protein concentration, oil volume fraction and mixing. Effects of these variables were assessed quantitatively using an empirical equation. Mixing speed had the greatest influence and protein concentration had the least influence on emulsifying activity for both phosvitin and BSA. For emulsion stability, mixing speed had the greatest influence for phosvitin; oil volume fraction had the greatest influence for BSA. Phosvitin was a better emulsifier than BSA at pH 7.

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