# Characterization of Flax and Hemp Using Spectrometric Methods
## 2 Literature Review  
The concern of healthy food has always been one of the most important for humanity. Current trends in the composition of a beneficial diet determine the development of new foods with increased biological and physiological value [34; 35]. Given the importance of nutrition regarding the appearance of chronic diseases, the recommendations of WHO and medical doctors suggest an increased consumption of plant-derived products is of particular importance and relevance [36; 37].  
In this context, extraction and evaluation of sandbox tree seed oils were studied by [PERSON] [38]. Extraction and characterization of vegetable oils from cherry seed by different extraction processes was studied by [PERSON] [39].  
[PERSON] et al. proposed a study where the physicochemical properties and chemical composition of oil extracted from five varieties of plant seeds (bitter melon, Kalahari melon, kenaf, pumpkin and roselle seeds) was examined by established methods. The thermal properties of extracted oils by differential scanning calorimetry were also evaluated [40].  
Essential oils and plant extracts, as well as textile flax and hemp seed, play an important role as raw materials in many products such as cosmetics, food industry constituents and medicines.  
_L. usitatissimum_ and _C. sativa_ are plants with a plethora of biologically active substances. Esculent oils derived from flax, hemp and other plants, depending on the geographical area, are known for their antioxidative medicinal status [41]. Cannabis inflorescences contain cannabinoid and therefore in modern traditional medicine, the plant is used as a sedative and anticonvulsant to combat insomnia and epilepsy [42].  
Experimental research confirmed the antiepileptic properties of the herb [43; 44; 45]. Cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands, known as endocannabinoids, are involved in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility and the regulation of intestinal epithelial integrity, suggesting that cannabis preparations are promising for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases [46]. Interestingly, biologically active compounds from flax and hemp revealed potential as anticancer drugs after biotechnological analysis [47; 48; 49].  
Research has been carried out on the development of an ATR FTIR spectroscopic technique (total attenuated reflection with Fourier transform in infrared) for the characterization of cellulosic (vegetable) fibers. Six species of fiber were examined (flax, hemp, jute, cotton, sisal and ramie). Raw fibers were considered, and subsequently, processed fibers from a variety of sources were examined. The technique used allowed us to differentiate the types of fibers based on the relative content of lignin in relation to other cellular components [50].  
In their paper, [PERSON] et al. determined the chemical composition in terms of the amount of fatty acids, minerals and proteins and the antioxidant capacity for several food seeds, including flax and hemp [51].  
Therefore, the aim of this work was to analyze and obtain comparisons among antioxidant capacity, nutritional value and molecular structures of flax seeds (_L. usitatissimum_) and hemp seeds (_C. sativa_) from the Romanian flora using vibrational spectroscopy techniques (FT-IR), spectrophotometric method and Photochem assay. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is one of the most widely used methods to identify chemical compounds and elucidate chemical structures, and these tools were recently reported for their food and pharmaceutical industry suitability, especially for the description of secondary metabolites and polysaccharide-polyphenol conjugates derived from plant-based extracts [52].