Super Food: Chia Seed (Salvia Hispanica L.)

Abstract

Chia seed, which has been popular in recent years, is a food rich in functional food ingredients such as dietary fiber, n-3 fatty acids, protein and antioxidants, of which health benefits are proven by scientific studies. 100 g of Chia is composed of 16 - 20 g protein, 30 – 38 g fat, 18 - 20 g n-3 fatty acids and 34 - 40 g total dietary fiber. In recent years, healthy food consumption trends are focused on the foods enriched with dietary fiber, n-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Chia seed is defined as “superfood”; because it contains functional food ingredients which can be effective on preventing the illnesses, which are commonly seen in recent years, such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Besides the effects on health and nutrition, Chia seed has the properties of forming a mucilage around its coat when in contact with water and stabilizing oil in water emulsions. Due to these properties it can be evaluated as a raw material having a high potential to be used in different purposes in the food industry. In this review, the studies about the health and nutrition effects of Chia seed, its functional ingredients and the usage areas in national and international food industries are summarized.