Chia Seed (Salvia hispanica): An Ancient Grain and a New Functional Food

Chia seed (Salvia hispanica) is an ancient oilseed used by Mayas and Aztecs as foodstuff. This seed is a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids (α-linolenic acid), soluble and insoluble fibers, and proteins in addition to other important nutritional components, such as vitamins, minerals, and natural antioxidants. Chia can be considered as “functional food” because apart from contributing to human nutrition, chia helps to increase satiety index, prevent cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory and nervous system disorders, and diabetes, among others. Today, chia seed offers a huge potential in the industries of health, food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals, among others, due to its functional components.     

Evaluation of performance of dough and bread incorporating chia (Salvia hispanica L.)

As a result of the opinion given by the European Food Safety Authority about the safety of chia seed (Salvia hispanica L) and whole ground chia seed as food ingredients, they may be placed on the market in the European Community as novel food ingredients to be used in bread products. The objective of the present investigation was to develop new cereal-based products with increased nutritional quality by using chia and ground chia seeds (whole chia flour, semi-defatted chia flour and low-fat chia flour) in order to evaluate its potential as a bread-making ingredient. The samples with chia addition significantly increased the levels of proteins, lipids, ash and dietary fibre in the final product compared to the control sample. Breads with seeds or ground seeds showed similar technological quality to the control bread, except for the increase in specific bread volume, decrease in crumb firmness and change in crumb colour. Sensory analysis showed that the inclusion of chia increased overall acceptability by consumers. The thermal properties of the starch did not alter substantially with the inclusion of chia. However, the incorporation of chia inhibited the kinetics of amylopectin retrogradation during storage, which would be directly related to the delay in bread staling.     

Omega‐3 Fatty Acid Profile of Eggs from Laying Hens Fed Diets Supplemented with Chia,Fish Oil,and Flaxseed

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of diets supplemented with fish oil, flaxseed, and chia seed on the omega‐3 fatty acid composition and sensory properties of hens’ eggs. No significant difference in yolk fat content was found between treatments. The fatty acid composition of egg yolk was significantly affected by the dietary treatments. Inclusion of chia at 300 g/kg into the diet produced eggs with the highest concentration of omega‐3 fatty acid. Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were only detected in eggs from laying hens fed the diet supplemented with fish oil. Diet had a significant effect on color, flavor and overall acceptability of eggs. Types and levels of omega‐3 fatty acids in feed influence the level of yolk omega‐3 fatty acids in egg yolk. Inclusion of chia into the hens’ diet significantly increased the concentration of yolk omega‐3 fatty acid without significant change in sensory properties.     

In vitro digestion of whole chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.): Nutrient bioaccessibility,structural and functional changes

Dietary chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) has significant health-related benefits due to its high nutrient contents. However, few studies reported the fate of whole seeds in the gastrointestinal tract. Herein, we explored the digestive characteristics in terms of hydrolysis of nutrients, structural and functional properties with a static in vitro digestion method. After gastrointestinal digestion, the digestibility of lipid and protein was 0.46% and 11.38%, respectively. The release rates of tryptophan, tyrosine and lysine were greater than 20%, whereas the glutamic acid and aspartic acid were less than 5%. The microscopic results (optical microscopy (OM), laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) demonstrated that the seeds remained intact, and the mucilage adhered tightly to the seed coat during digestion. The water holding capacity and oil holding capacity of seeds accounted for 6.37 and 3.28 g/g after intestinal digestion, which were significantly lower than gastric digestion endpoints (P < 0.05). And there were no significant differences in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of G-Mucilage and I-Mucilage. In general, preprocessing before being consumed is necessary for chia seeds to take full advantage of rich polyunsaturated fatty acids and proteins.     

Physical properties,chemical characterization and fatty acid composition of Mexican chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds

Chia seeds were utilized by Aztecs as food and for medicinal purposes. Nowadays, this crop is gaining importance in many countries, due to its nutritional attributes. Some physical properties and chemical characteristics of chia seeds from four different regions of Mexico were evaluated and compared. Seed size distribution was not significantly affected (P > 0.05) by the region, with similar values of seed length (2.03–2.10 mm), width (1.27–1.32 mm), thickness (0.77–0.81 mm) and surface area (4.95–5.42 mm²). Bulk density (662–741 kg m^?3), geometry and granulometric distribution were also determined. Origin of tested seeds significantly (P < 0.05) influenced their composition; all seeds had high contents of protein (18.5–22.3%), fat (21.5–32.7%) and fibre (20.1–36.1%). Chia seeds ratio between omega‐3 and omega‐6 fatty acids was 3:1 for the studied regions; seeds from Chiapas and Michoacán had the highest proportion of ω‐6 and ω‐3 fatty acids. The studied seeds contained phenolic compounds in the range of 0.53–0.71 mg GAE g^?1.     

Fatty acid profile of goat milk in diets supplemented with chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.)

Chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) is the greatest known plant source of n-3 α-linolenic acid. The present study evaluated the effects of 3 inclusion levels of chia seed [zero (control); low, 2.7% (CLow); and high, 5.5% (CHigh)] in diets of dairy goats on milk yield and fatty acid profile. Nine Saanen dairy goats in the last third of lactation period, live weight 38 ± 8.7 kg, housed in metabolic cages, were fed iso-proteic and iso-energetic (160 g of crude protein/d and 11 MJ of metabolizable energy/d) diets. Gas chromatography was used to analyze fatty acid profile and total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Silver ion HPLC was used to analyze the isomeric profile of CLA. The results were subjected to variance analysis using a Latin square design repeated 3 × 3. The CHigh treatment was higher for dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber intake compared with CLow and control diets. Digestibility was not affected by the inclusion of chia seeds. The CHigh diet improved N intake with respect to the control and CLow diet. Milk yield and chemical composition were not affected by the treatment. The milk fatty acid profile of C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and C:20 was higher for CHigh than the other treatments. The in vitro gas production (mL of gas/g of dry matter) was lower in CHigh than the control diet. In conclusion, the addition of chia seeds at the CHigh level in dairy goat diets negatively affected in vitro rumen fermentation, but increased the milk fatty acid profile of C18:0, C18:1n-9 cis, and C:20, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The total CLA content increased from 0.33 to 0.73% with the supplementation of chia to the diet, as well as the isomers cis-9,trans-11, trans-7,cis-9, trans-11,cis-13, and trans-12,trans-14.     

Production of bioactive peptides from tomato seed isolate by Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation and enhancement of antioxidant activity

Tomato seed contains proteins of high nutritional value and nutraceutical properties, which can be recovered for application as food additives. In this study, we investigated the use of a Lactobacillus plantarum strain to obtain high-added-value peptides from the fermentation process using tomato seed meal extract as the substrate. Potentially tomato seed meal extract have antioxidant activity which is correlated to the amino acid structures, compositions and sequences. After 24 h of fermentation, the radical scavenging activity of the isolated extract was increased by 87%. The increase of antioxidant activity is potentially attributed to the production of different bioactive peptides bio transformed during fermentation. L. plantarum growth on tomato seed meal extract as substrate reduced content of crude and soluble proteins by 18.44% and 68.99%, respectively, after 24 h of fermentation. Gel filtration chromatography showed a depolymerization of high molecular weight of polymers. HPLC analysis showed a significant decrease in the concentration of total amino acids, especially glutamic acid and aspartic acid. FTIR results showed that the fermentation favors the production of new amides and aromatic compounds. The production of protease by L. plantarum was investigated and results showed that highest activity (401.45 U/ml) were obtained after 20 h of fermentation. Results confirmed that L. plantarum could degrade and convert tomato seed proteins into bioactive peptides that contributed positively to the improvement of antioxidant activity of the protein isolate.     

Nutritional composition of Zizyphus lotus L. seeds

BACKGROUND: Zizyphus lotus seeds are an unutilized source of vegetable oil and protein and nothing has been reported on their physicochemical characteristics which would indicate the potential uses of these seeds. RESULTS: The percentage composition of the Zizyphus lotus seeds is (on a dry‐weight basis): ash 1.05%, oil 32.92%, protein 19.11%, total carbohydrate 40.87% and moisture 6.05%. Calcium, potassium and magnesium constitute the major minerals of Zizyphus lotus seeds. The seed proteins are rich in threonine, glutamic acid, leucine, arginine and aspartic acid (26.73%, 17.28%, 13.11%, 9.47% and 7.76%, respectively). The main fatty acids of the oil are oleic (61.93%), linoleic (18.31%) and palmitic (9.14%) acids. Glycerol trioleate (OOO; O: oleic acid) was the most abundant triacylglycerol, representing 26.48% of the total triacyglycerols. β‐Tocopherol was the major tocopherol (130.47 mg 100 g^?1). This oil was rich in Δ7‐campestrol and β‐sitosterol (147.82 and 82.10 mg 100 g^?1 oil), respectively. CONCLUSION: Zizyphus lotus seeds are rich in fat and protein which are of potential industrial significance. In addition, Zizyphus lotus L. seed oil contained many bioactive compounds. This fact is of great economic interest owing to several applications of Zizyphus lotus L. seeds in the food, cosmetics and medicinal industries. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Chemical composition,protein fractionation,essential amino acid potential and antimetabolic constituents of an unconventional legume,Gila bean (Entada phaseoloides Merrill) seed kernel

Physical characteristics of pods and seeds, proximate composition, different protein fractionation, SDS‐PAGE analysis of proteins, amino acid composition, starch content, fatty acid profiles and various antimetabolic substances of Gila bean (Entada phaseoloides Merrill) were studied. The pod length and the number of seeds per pod ranged from 55 to 90 cm and from 5 to 11 respectively. The kernel comprised 66.1% of the seed weight (18.41 ± 1.14 g). The seed kernels contained 256.7 g kg^?1 crude protein, 108.1 g kg^?1 lipid, 27.3 g kg^?1 ash and a high content of carbohydrate (585.7 g kg^?1). The levels of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and iron were similar to those in conventional pulses. Among the different protein fractions of seed kernels, albumins constituted the major storage proteins (69.7%). The kernel proteins were rich in essential amino acids, particularly sulphur‐containing amino acids, and their values appeared to be higher than the FAO/WHO (1990) reference protein for a 2–5‐year‐old growing child and soybean, and comparable to hen egg. Seed kernel lipids contained high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, oleic and linoleic acids, which accounted for 83% of the total fatty acid recovered. The kernel exhibited high trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor activities (96.65 mg TI g^?1 and 30.02 CIU mg^?1 sample respectively) in addition to containing phenolics, phytic acid, lectins and oligosaccharides. Another major toxic constituent was identified as a group of triterpenoid saponins (3.21%), which had high haemolytic activity (HeU) against cattle erythrocytes and caused high mortality in fish. The in vitro digestibility of the kernel protein was low (67%). © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

A quantitative and qualitative assessment of mung bean (Vigna mungo (L.) Wilczek) seed in response to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide: potential changes in fatty acid composition

The effect of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO₂]) on seed production and the fatty acid profiles of mung bean (Vigna mungo L. Wilczek) were studied under field conditions. Increased [CO₂] (ca 250 ppm above ambient) resulted in significant increases in pod number, pod weight and total seed weight, but also significantly increased the percentage of immature pods at harvest. Qualitatively, increased [CO₂] significantly decreased the percentages of palmitic and omega‐6 fatty acids, but increased the percentage of omega‐3 fatty acids and the relative proportion of omega‐3 to omega‐6 fatty acids in mature seed. Overall, increased carbon dioxide may significantly increase quantity and alter quality in mung bean seed, a recognized alternative source of fatty acids in the human diet. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

奇亚籽营养成分分析及其饮料工艺优化

为开发奇亚籽的营养价值,对黑、白两种奇亚籽的营养成分进行测定,并将其应用在饮料中。采用国标的方法测定基本营养成分,利用氨基酸自动分析仪、气相色谱-质谱联用仪(Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer,GC-MS)分别测定氨基酸及脂肪酸含量,通过单因素实验和响应面试验优化奇亚籽柠檬汁饮料工艺配方。结果表明:黑、白奇亚籽粗蛋白质、粗脂肪、膳食纤维含量分别为16.40%、28.32%、34.67%和29.10%、30.48%、26.65%;二者水分和灰分含量均低于10%。共检出16种氨基酸,黑、白奇亚籽中必需氨基酸含量分别为7.37和7.77 g/100 g,占氨基酸总量的32.92%、38.39%。以氨基酸评分、化学评分为标准,第一限制性氨基酸均为蛋氨酸+半胱氨酸。黑、白奇亚籽中多不饱和脂肪酸分别占脂肪酸总量的82.82%和84.89%,其中omega-3占63.18%~68.37%,具有较高的食用价值。饮料最佳工艺配方:浓缩柠檬汁添加量10%、麦芽糖醇添加量14%、结冷胶添加量0.15%、奇亚籽添加量3%和甜蜜素添加量0.02%。在此条件下,饮料感官评分为(88.5±0.71)分,可制得口感好、色泽明亮、体系稳定均一的奇亚籽柠檬汁饮料。综合分析奇亚籽作为一种新食品原料,其营养价值丰富,并通过优化饮料制作工艺,为其在饮料深加工领域提供理论依据。     

Distribution of fatty acids in edible organs and seed fractions of borage (Borago officinalis L.)

BACKGROUND: Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is currently used as a vegetable in the north of Spain. The edible parts of the plant are the petioles, leaves and stems. The objective of this study was to determine the oil and fatty acids content in the edible tissues (leaves, petioles and stems) and seed fractions (endosperm + cotyledon, seed coat and elaiosome) of white‐ and blue‐flowered borage accessions. RESULTS: Leaves showed higher mean values of oil content (2.7%) than petioles and stems (1.1% and 1.4%, respectively) in both, blue‐ and white‐flowered material. The most abundant fatty acids in leaves were palmitic, linoleic, α‐linolenic and stearidonic acids (about 75% of the total fatty acids), while in petioles and stems myristic and linoleic acids were most abundant (about 60% of the total fatty acids). Palmitic, oleic, linoleic and γ‐linolenic (GLA) acids were the major fatty acids of seed coat and endosperm + cotyledon in borage seeds (85% of the total fatty acids), while palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids were the most abundant fatty acids of elaisome in borage seeds (80% of the total fatty acids). CONCLUSION: This paper shows that green parts of borage contain substantial amounts of omega‐3 and omega‐6 fatty acids, which are essential fatty acids for animal and human nutrition. Thus, borage could be a ‘power food’ of the future because of its content of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly the essential fatty acids, which have great potential to prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer and infectious diseases. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fatty acid and phytosterol accumulation during seed development in three oilseed species

This study was carried out to compare the kinetic accumulation of bioactive lipids during seed development in three oil crops rapeseed, sunflower and woad. Field experiments were conducted under organic conditions during 3 years. After flowering, seeds were collected each 4–5 days until harvest. The three species differed by the quantity and quality of both fatty acids and sterols. Higher levels of phytosterols and fatty acids were reached between 20 and 40 days after flowering (DAF) in sunflower, 40 and 60 DAF in rapeseed and 25 and 45 DAF for woad. The modification of lipid composition during the grain filling depends on species. Knowledge of the composition and accumulation of fatty acids and phytosterols in sunflower, rapeseed and woad seeds would assist in efforts to achieve industrial applications. These seeds may give an interesting source of bioactive lipids.     

Chemical characterisation of Tylosema fassoglensis (Kotschy) Torre & Hillc oilseed

Tylosema fassoglensis seeds contain high levels of lipids (240–300 g kg^?1) and proteins (446 g kg^?1 dry weight). Major fatty acids contained in the oil are linoleic (36–42% of the total fatty acids) oleic (32–35%) and palmitic (11.5–15.7%) acids. The proteins are characteristic with their high levels of lysine, proline and tyrosine. Due to their very low content, both methionine and cystine appear to be the limiting amino acids. Tylosema fassoglensis defatted meal contains substantial amounts of trypsin inhibitors and phytates 295 TUI mg^?1 and 35 g kg^?1 dry weight, respectively.     

Manipulation of Omega‐3 PUFAs in Lamb: Phenotypic and Genotypic Views

A number of studies have shown that dietary omega‐6 and omega‐3 long‐chain fatty acids can be incorporated into muscle tissue of ruminants despite the biohydrogenation of dietary fatty acids in the rumen. The main focus of this review is on eicosapentaenoic (20:5n‐3) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n‐3) fatty acids because health authorities around the world consider the sum of these fatty acids as the basis of classifying a food as a source or good source of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). A high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids are hydrogenated in the rumen, leading to a higher concentration of 18:0, but some escapes the rumen to be absorbed intact by the small intestine. Feeding strategies for ruminants have been successfully applied to increase the absorption of PUFAs in the small intestine and therefore to increase the levels of PUFAs in muscle tissue. Protected fats and algae are strong candidates to improve the nutritional value of red meat in ruminants in terms of health‐claimable omega‐3 fatty acids. Efforts to understand the genetic basis of fatty acid metabolism have been underway. The knowledge of the main genes which control the output of omega‐3 fatty acids is still lacking, but gene expression studies have helped to explain the deposition of these acids in muscle, liver, and subcutaneous fat.     

Chemical Composition,Amino Acid Content and Protein Quality of the Little-Known Legume Bauhinia purpurea L

Some nutritional and antinutritional characteristics and biological value of Bauhinia purpurea L seeds were studied. The mature seeds contained (g kg^-1 as is) 271·7 crude protein, 58·7 crude fibre, 124·5 crude fat, 29·3 ash and 515·3 carbohydrates. Potassium, phosphorus and iron occurred in higher concentrations when compared with commonly consumed legumes. The globulins and albumins together constituted major storage proteins (82% total protein). The essential amino acid profile of total seed proteins compared well with the FAO/WHO reference pattern except for a deficiency of sulphur-containing amino acids and tryptophan. When compared with the globulins, the albumins appeared to be a rich source of cystine, methionine, threonine, lysine and tryptophan. Seed lipids contained high levels of the unsaturated fatty acids, oleic and linoleic, which accounted for 62·6% of total fatty acids recovered. Both dry heating and autoclaving significantly reduced the antinutritional compounds. The in vitro protein digestibilities of raw, dry-heated and autoclaved seeds were 59·5, 72·3 and 78·7%, respectively. True digestibility and net protein utilisation were significantly higher in processed seed samples compared with raw seeds. Regarding utilisable protein, autoclaved samples exhibited relatively higher values than raw seeds. © 1997 SCI.     

Extraction,structure and biofunctional activities of laminarin from brown algae

Brown algae are rich sources of bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, peptides, omega‐3 fatty acids, carotenoids, phenolics, vitamins and minerals. Laminarin is low‐molecular‐weight polysaccharide and bioactive compound present in brown algae. Laminarin is found in the fronds of Laminaria and Saccharina species. Laminarin, a storage β‐glucan, is composed of (1,3)‐β‐d ‐glucan and some β‐(1,6)‐intrachain links. The reported content of laminarin from brown algae is up to levels of 35% on dry basis, which varies depending on species, harvesting season, habitat and method of extraction. Laminarin has many reported biofunctional activities including antitumour, anti‐apoptotic, anti‐inflammatory, anticoagulant and antioxidant activity. Biofunctional activities of laminarin can be enhanced after suitable chemical modifications, sulphation and novel processing techniques. Studies on feeding of laminarin‐rich extracts to animals indicate it's suitability as functional ingredient for food applications. This paper reviews the main sources, structure and extraction of laminarin with its biofunctional activities.     

Fatty acids,sterols and other steroids from seeds of Patagonian Prosopis species

Seeds of Prosopis alpataco, P denudans var denudans, P denudans var patagonica and P denudans var stenocarpa were analysed for fatty acids and sterols. The seed lipids contained a relatively large proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, with linoleic and oleic acids being predominant. β‐Sitosterol was the major steroid in all species studied. In P alpataco seeds, stigmasta‐1,3,5‐triene and stigmasta‐4,6‐dien‐3‐one were also identified. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fatty acids and lignans in unground whole flaxseed and sesame seed are bioavailable but have minimal antioxidant and lipid‐lowering effects in postmenopausal women

Fatty acids and lignans in ground flaxseed and sesame seed are absorbed, metabolized, and exert some health benefits in vivo. However, it is unclear if they are absorbed, metabolized, and exert health benefits when consumed as unground whole seed; therefore, it was investigated in this study. In a randomized crossover study, 16 postmenopausal women supplemented their diets with food bars containing either 25 g unground flaxseed, sesame seed, or their combination (12.5 g each) (flaxseed+sesame seed bar, FSB) for 4 wk each, separated by 4 wk washout periods. Total serum n‐3 fatty acids increased with flaxseed (p<0.05) and FSB (p=0.064) while serum n‐6 fatty acids increased with sesame seed (p<0.05). Urinary lignans increased similarly with all treatments (p<0.05). Plasma lipids and several antioxidant markers were unaffected by all treatments, except serum γ‐tocopherol (GT), which increased with both sesame seed (p<0.0001) and FSB (p<0.01). In conclusion, fatty acids and lignans from unground seed in food bars are absorbed and metabolized; however, except for serum GT, the 25 g unground seed is inadequate to induce changes in plasma lipids and several biomarkers of oxidative stress.     

Selected Properties of the Lipid and Protein Fractions from Chia Seed

The lipid and protein fractions from chia seeds, Saliva hispanica L. were characterized. Neutral lipids comprised 97.1% of the total lipid fraction while glycolipids and phospholipids accounted for 2.0 and 0.9%, respectively. Linolenic acid was the predominate fatty acid present in the neutral lipid fraction. The glycolipid and phospholipid fractions were highest in palmitic and linoleic acid. Protein extraction was influenced by the NaCl concentration and by the pH of the extraction medium. Maximum protein extraction occurred at a NaOH concentration of 2.0N when the nH was 12.0. At acidic pHs protein extraction was greatly reduced. Maximum extraction occurred after 60 min at 25°C. Characterization of the protein fractions by SDS-PAGE demonstrated the presence of ten major protein bands with molecular weights from 12,400-44,500 daltons.