A b s t r a c t. The results of investigations on the physicochemical and grinding characteristics of Moldavian dragonhead seeds are presented. The data obtained showed that the physical properties (average size, sphericity, surface area, 1 000 seed mass, dynamic angle of repose, coefficient of static friction, and bulk and true densities) of the white and blue form of dragonhead seeds were not significantly different. Both forms of dragonhead showed similar levels of protein (average of 21%), whereas the blue form of dragonhead had a lower fat content (average of 23.1%) and higher mucilage content (13.35%) in comparison to the blue form of seed (24.6 and 9.95%, respectively). Antioxidant capacity of dragonhead seeds was comparable for both forms and averaged about 40%, which corresponded to EC50 values of 0.12 and 0.13 mg ml -1 for the white and blue forms, respectively. The grinding material showed similar particle size distribution of ground material for both forms of dragonhead seeds. The lowest values of specific grinding energy were obtained for the white form of dragonhead seeds, those for the blue form were significantly higher. Grinding of dragonhead seeds using a screen 2.0 mm mesh size caused screen hole clogging. This problem did not occur when dragonhead seeds were mixed with wheat grain.K e y w o r d s: dragonhead, seed, physicochemical properties, grinding
INTRODUCTIONThe plant Dracocephalum moldavica L. commonly known as Moldavian balm or Moldavian dragonhead is a perennial herb belonging to the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family. It is native to central Asia and is naturalized in eastern and central Europe (Dastmalchi et al., 2007;Said-Al-Ahl and Abdou, 2009). It is also an introduced plant to the northeastern United States. There are two common forms of dragonhead, with white and blue flowers, differing mainly in their flowering period. It flowers mainly in July and sets fruit in August, and contains flavones, terpenes, proteins, polypeptides and 16 amino acids, of which 8 are essential (Sultan et al., 2008). It is frequently consumed as food and drug additives. Dragonhead seed yield is about 1 600 and 1 900 kg ha -1 for the white and blue form, respectively (Hanczakowski et al., 2009). Seeds are rich in fatty oil, whose content ranges from 18 to 29%. This oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids (about 90%), principally the linolenic and linoleic acids (about 60 and 20%, respectively) which belong to essential fatty acids (Domokos et al., 1994). Apart from this, dragonhead seeds (DHS) contain about 21% of protein with beneficial amino acid composition and high biological value (Hanczakowski et al., 2009). DHS are an excellent source of mucilage with the soluble fraction of dietary fibres. These interesting properties categorise DHS into the group of raw materials suitable for nutraceuticals, food supplements, and functional food applications. However, information on its use in the food industry is rather scarce, possibly due to its limited application and lack of thorough scientific knowledge in this a...