STRATEGIC
R & D
51
MAR 2017 FOOD FOCUSTHAILAND
and kaempferol. Natural antioxidants protect the
human body against free radicals, inhibit many
chronic diseases, and prevent lipid oxidation in
food (Coelho&Salas-Mellado, 2014).
Additionally, chia seeds contain essential
minerals that include magnesium, calcium,
potassium and phosphorus. In comparison to
100g of milk, Chia seeds contain six timesmore
calcium, eleven timesmorephosphorusand four
timesmore potassium (Munoz
et al.,
2012).
When itcomes to recipesor food formulations,
Chia seeds act as a good thickening and
emulsifying agent, adding a rich texture and
silkinesswhenblended into smoothies, desserts
and dressings. Chia seed gels also possess
a great potential application in frozen food
formulations as they exhibit good emulsion
and foaming stability as well as an ideal water
holding capacity (Franklin & Hongu, 2016; Suri
et al.,
2016).
Besides chia seeds, there are also several
formsof chiaavailable in themarket.Chiaseeds
canbe further processed toseveral typesof chia
products, including a high protein chia extract
1
,
a multifunctional fiber concentrate extract and
chia oil
1
as well asALA powder
1
. These ranges
of chia product can be applied in various food
applications, for instance, a high protein chia
extract can be used in beverages (liquid/
powder) and nutritional supplements for sport
nutrition. Other applications, for example, are
theuseof chiaoil inmargarine,mayonnaiseand
nutraceutical products.
“Organic” and “Healthy eating” have been
the buzzword for a while now. With the steady
rise of knowledge on nutrition, comes the rise of
the “healthful consumer” whoplaces importance
on his/her own well-being by eating nutritionally
wholesome foods. There is nodoubt that wewill
continue toseeChiaseeds
1
and theirapplications
1
inmore foodstuffs to come.
Additional Information
1
Chia seed, Chiapowder, Chiaoil andALApowder fromBenexia, Chile
“Chia”
is the ancient
Mayanword for
“strength”
.
