Chia seed

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Color and detail of chia seeds close-up

Chia seeds are the edible seeds of

mucilaginous coating that gives chia-based foods and beverages a distinctive gel
texture.

There is evidence that the crop was widely

Mesoamerican
cultures. Chia seeds are cultivated on a small scale in their ancestral homeland of central Mexico and Guatemala and commercially throughout Central and South America.

Description

Chia seed measuring 2 mm
Chia seeds

Typically, chia seeds are small flattened ovoids measuring on average 2.1 mm × 1.3 mm × 0.8 mm (0.08 in × 0.05 in × 0.03 in), with an average weight of 1.3 mg (0.020 gr) per seed.[2] They are mottle-colored with brown, gray, black, and white. The seeds are hydrophilic, absorbing up to 12 times their weight in liquid when soaked; they develop a mucilaginous coating that gives them a gel texture. Chia (or chian or chien) has mostly been identified as Salvia hispanica L. Other plants referred to as "chia" include "golden chia" (Salvia columbariae). The seeds of Salvia columbariae are also used for food.

Seed yield varies depending on cultivars, mode of cultivation, and growing conditions by geographic region. For example, commercial fields in Argentina and Colombia vary in yield range from 450 to 1,250 kg/ha (400 to 1,120 lb/acre).[3][4] A small-scale study with three cultivars grown in the inter-Andean valleys of Ecuador produced yields up to 2,300 kg/ha (2,100 lb/acre), indicating that favorable growing environment and cultivar interacted to produce such high yields.[20] Genotype has a larger effect on yield than on protein content, oil content, fatty acid composition, or phenolic compounds, whereas high temperature reduces oil content and degree of unsaturation, and raises protein content.[5]

Chia seeds, dried, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy486 kcal (2,030 kJ)
42.1 g
Dietary fiber34.4 g
30.7 g
Saturated3.3 g
Monounsaturated2.3 g
Polyunsaturated23.7 g
17.8 g
5.8 g
16.5 g
Niacin (B3)
55%
8.83 mg
Folate (B9)
12%
49 μg
Vitamin C
2%
1.6 mg
Vitamin E
3%
0.5 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
49%
631 mg
Iron
43%
7.7 mg
Magnesium
80%
335 mg
Manganese
118%
2.72 mg
Phosphorus
69%
860 mg
Potassium
14%
407 mg
Zinc
42%
4.6 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water5.8 g
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[6] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[7]

History

Drawing from the Florentine Codex showing a S. hispanica plant[8]

S. hispanica is described and pictured in the

Aztec codices created between 1540 and 1585. Tribute records from the Mendoza Codex, Matrícula de Tributos, and the Matricula de Huexotzinco (1560), along with colonial cultivation reports and linguistic studies, detail the geographic location of the tributes and provide some geographic specificity to the main S. hispanica-growing regions. Most of the provinces grew the plant, except for areas of lowland coastal tropics and desert say, and it was given as an annual tribute by the people to the rulers in 21 of the 38 Aztec provincial states. The traditional area of cultivation was in a distinct area that covered parts of north-central Mexico, south to Guatemala. A second and separate area of cultivation, apparently pre-Columbian, was in southern Honduras and Nicaragua.[9]

Chia seeds served as a staple food for the

Jesuit chroniclers placed chia as the third-most important crop in the Aztec culture, behind only corn and beans, and ahead of amaranth. Offerings to the Aztec priesthood were often paid in chia seed.[8]

In the 21st century, chia is grown and consumed commercially in its native Mexico and Guatemala, as well as Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.[10][11][12][13] New patented varieties of chia have been developed in Kentucky for cultivation in northern latitudes of the United States.[14]

Nutrition

Dried chia seeds contain 6% water, 42%

dietary minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc
(all more than 20% DV; see table).

Chia oil is highly nutritious and healthy containing a high percentage of essential fatty acids (59.9–63.2%) and low content of saturated fatty acids.

α-linolenic acid (50–57%) as the major fatty acids (see table).[16]

As food

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on
agua fresca
made using chía

Chia seeds may be added to other foods as a topping or put into

granola bars, yogurt, tortillas
, and bread.

They also may be made into a gelatin-like substance or consumed raw.[17][18] The gel from ground seeds may be used in place of eggs in cakes while providing other nutrients, and it is a common substitute in vegan and allergen-free baking.[19]

In Europe

Chia is considered a novel food in Europe because it does not have "a significant history of consumption within the European Union before 15 May 1997", according to the Advisory Committee of Novel Foods and Processes.[20] Under this rule, chia seeds may be 5% of total matter in bread products. Prepackaged chia seeds shall carry additional labelling to inform the consumer that the daily intake is no more than 15 grams per day and pure chia oil only 2 grams per day.[20]

Chia seeds sold in the EU are imported mainly from South American and Central American countries and require inspections for levels of pesticides, contaminants and microbiological criteria.[21]

Preliminary health research

Preliminary research remains sparse and inconclusive.[22] In a 2015 systematic review, most of the studies did not show an effect of chia seed consumption on cardiovascular risk factors in humans.[23]

Drug interactions

No evidence to date indicates consuming chia seeds has

adverse effects on, or interacts with, prescription drugs.[22]

Chia pet

Chia pet alligator
Main article: Chia Pet

Joe Pedott created a set of terracotta figurines called Chia Pet used to sprout chia. The first figurines were made in 1977, and they were marketed widely after 1982. During the 1980s in the United States, the first substantial wave of chia seed sales was tied to chia pets, clay figures that serve as the base for a sticky paste of chia seeds. After the figures are watered, the seeds sprout into a form suggesting a fur covering.

About 500,000 chia pets were sold in the U.S. in 2007 as novelties or

house plants, to a total of 15 million as of 2019, with most sales occurring during the holiday season.[24][25]

References

  1. ^ "Salvia hispanica". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  2. ISSN 0926-6690
    .
  3. S2CID 95974159
    .
  4. doi:10.1016/0926-6690(96)89454-4
    .
  5. ISSN 0926-6690
    .
  6. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  7. PMID 30844154.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  8. ^
    S2CID 35611803
    .
  9. S2CID 14751137
    .
  10. ISBN 978-90-5823-005-8
    .
  11. ^ Stephanie Strom (23 November 2012). "30 Years After Chia Pets, Seeds Hit Food Aisles". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2012. Whole and ground chia seeds are being added to fruit drinks, snack foods and cereals and sold on their own to be baked into cookies and sprinkled on yogurt. ...
  12. ^ Dunn C (25 May 2015). "Is chia the next quinoa?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  13. ^ "First British Chia". Hodmedods. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  14. ^ Cheryl Kaiser; Matt Ernst (February 2016). "Chia" (PDF). University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Center for Crop Diversification Crop Profile. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  15. ISSN 0889-1575
    .
  16. S2CID 84621038
    .
  17. ^ "Chewing Chia Packs A Super Punch". NPR. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  18. PMID 25038671
    .
  19. PMID 20497788
    .
  20. ^ a b "Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470 of 20 December 2017 establishing the Union list of novel foods in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Novel Foods". Eur-Lex. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  21. ^ "Entering the European market for chia seeds". Centre for the Promotion of Imports, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands. 18 January 2021.
  22. ^
    PMID 20028328
    .
  23. PMID 26545644
    .
  24. ^ Owen Edwards (December 2007). "Chia pet". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  25. ^ "About Chia Pets, Joe Pedot, Joseph Enterprises, Chia Pet". 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2021.

External links

Media related to Category:Chia seeds at Wikimedia Commons

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