Physical, nutritional, textural and sensory qualities of Turkish noodles produced with siyez wheat (Triticum monococcum), kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) and chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.)

In this study, physical (cooking time, water ab-sorption, cooking loss and color), chemical (proximate composition, pH, total phe-nolic content, mineral mat-ter (Ca, K, Fe, Mg and Zn)), textural (hardness and adhe-siveness) and sensory (col-or, taste, flavor, appearance, hardness, adhesiveness and overall acceptability) attrib-utes were determined in dif-ferent types of noodles pro-duced from siyez wheat flour, kale powder and chia seed mucilage. Results were statistically evaluated using SAS software. The optimal cooking time for the noo-dles were 20 min and cook-ing loss varied between 8.36-12.22%. Kale powder and chia mucilage addition decreased L* and a* values of the noodles. Ash, crude fiber, mineral matter and total phenolic contents of the noodles were higher and fat contents of the noodles were lower than the control sample. Hardness and adhe-siveness of the noodles were decreased by addition of the kale powder at 10%. The noodles with higher hard-ness and lower adhesiveness were preferred by the panel-ists in sensory evaluation. Increasing the kale powder level in the noodle formula-tion from 5% to 10% result-ed in higher color scores. However, the control sam-ple was the most preferred sample in terms of taste.

Effects of Different Drying Methods on the Functional Properties and Physicochemical Characteristics of Chia Mucilage Powder (Salvia hispanica L.)

Chia seeds are a healthy source of omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fibre. The effects of different drying methods (freeze-drying and oven-drying) on the functional properties (water holding capacity, oil holding capacity and colour analysis) and physicochemical characteristics (scanning electron microscopy) of chia mucilage powder (Salvia hispanica L.) including comparison with xanthan gum, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and arabic gum were investigated. Chia mucilage dried in a freeze dryer (FD) showed significantly higher (p<0.05) values of water holding and oil holding capacities compared to chia mucilage dried in air convection heat oven (ACHO), xanthan gum, HPMC and arabic gum. It also showed a higher L* value (lightness) than ACHO, HPMC, and xanthan gum but lower values of a*, b*, c*, BI, and ΔE than ACHO and xanthan gum. The morphology of FD is smaller, more uniform in size, with a fine fibrous relative structure compared to ACHO. FD is a novel mucilage that could potentially be used as a functional and environmentally friendly hydrocolloid for human consumption and significantly better than commercial hydrocolloids. These results can also help to select successful drying methods for food products based on their functional and physicochemical characteristics.

The Effect of Drying Processes on the Nutritional and Phytochemical Levels of Chia Leaves (Salvia hispanica L.) at Different Stages of Growth

Chia leaf (Salvia hispanica L.) is an underutilized low-cost source of nutrients. The leaf is currently not widely utilized as compared to the chia seeds which have wide use in the food industry. The present study investigated the effect of solar-drying and oven-drying chia leaves harvested at different stages of growth on their nutritional and phytochemical composition. The chia leaves were harvested at four stages of early vegetative stage, late vegetative stage, budding stage and flowering stage. Oven drying was done at45 ºC for 24hours, and solar dried in a solar drier until a constant weight was achieved. The results indicated significant differences (p<0.05) between treatments and stages of maturity. Results also showed that solar dried had better nutritional and phytochemical retention over oven dried chia leaves. Crude protein was highest in solar dried leaves at early vegetative stage (FS1) 4.48%, compared to 4.44% for oven dried chia leaves. The fiber content increased from the fresh leaf at 12.4% to high content in solar dried leaf at the early vegetative stage at 23.33%, while oven dried leaves had high content at the flowering stage at 22.09%. There were minimal changes in fat content of the dried chia leaves compared to fresh sample at 5.908%, with high fat levels noted for oven dried leaf at the early vegetative stage (FS3) at 5.68% and solar dried leaves at 4.71% at the budding stage. The difference in fat content could be attributed to degradation during the drying processes. Ash content on the other hand showed difference at different stages of growth from raw samples for both solar- and oven dried leaves. Highest retention of phenolic content was recorded at 147.62 mg/GAE for solar dried leaves at the budding stage (FS3). However, oven dried leaf samples recorded high phenolic content at 124.06 mg/GAE at the late vegetative stage. The flavonoid levels were recorded highest for solar dried leaves at the budding stage at 299.8 mg/CE, compared to high content for oven dried leaves at the budding stage recorded at 270.4 mg/CE. Scavenging activity was highest recorded for solar dried samples at the budding and flowering stages at 100 µg/100g compared to oven dried leaves at 80.85 µg/100g at the late vegetative stage. Solar drying is the simplest and convenient low-cost technology for preserving the nutritional quality and retention of phytochemical ranges of chia leaves which will enhance their utilization when abundantly available.

Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica L.): Can They Be Used as Ingredients in Making Sports Energy Gel?

Dehydration during exercise has been shown to limit performance. This study aimed to determine the best hydrocolloid for producing sports energy gel from chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.). This study was a completed random-design study using one factor: the addition of 0.1% w/w hydrocolloids (SEG1: xanthan gum; SEG2: pectin; and SEG3: carboxymethyl cellulose). A sports energy gel was then analyzed for pH, viscosity, total soluble solids, potassium content, and gross energy. The sensory characteristics that were analyzed include color, texture, aroma, and flavor, using hedonic tests on 25 panelists. The addition of different hydrocolloids resulted in significant differences in pH, viscosity, total soluble solids, potassium, and energy contents (p = 0.026; 0.0001; 0.0001; and 0.0001). Differences in hydrocolloid types also led to differences in the panelists’ perceptions of the sports energy gels’ colors and textures (p = 0.008 and 0.0001). The best formulation was the sports energy gel with added xanthan gum, which showed the highest average energy, total soluble solids, potassium, and viscosity values, and the lowest average of pH values (60.24 ± 0.340, 10.6 ± 0.08, 19.6 ± 0.23, 367.4 ± 9.81, and 5.2 ± 0.38, respectively). The conclusion is that chia seeds can be used as the main ingredient for producing a high-energy sports gel. Energy has a huge impact on a person’s physical and mental health.

Comparison of the Content of Selected Bioactive Components and Antiradical Properties in Yoghurts Enriched with Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) and Chia Seeds Soaked in Apple Juice

Due to the fact that consumers are looking for new, health-promoting products, there is a growing interest in various ingredients with a high biological activity that could enrich conventional foods. As is known, chia seeds are a rich source of various health-promoting compounds. The objective of this study was to determine the content of selected biologically active compounds and their antioxidant properties by means of DPPH●, ABTS+●, and the ability to chelate Fe (II) ions in chia seeds and yoghurts with the addition of these seeds and seeds soaked in apple juice. It was found that chia seeds are a rich source of bioactive ingredients with beneficial effects on human health—especially polyphenols. All the extracts showed antioxidant properties against the radicals used. The addition of seeds to yoghurt contributed to the presence of polyphenols, while soaking in apple juice resulted in a higher content of polyphenols in yoghurts. The enriched yoghurt extracts showed antioxidant properties against DPPH radicals and the ability to chelate Fe (II) ions. The addition of seeds soaked in apple juice significantly influenced the antioxidant activity against ABTS radicals. The addition of seeds (plain and soaked) did not cause significant changes in the pH of the yoghurts.

Ultrasound-Assisted Modification of Insoluble Dietary Fiber from Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Seeds

Modification of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) to soluble dietary fiber (SDF) improves not only the various health benefits but also the functional properties for improved product development. This research aimed to examine the effects of sonication treatment on the functional and physicochemical properties with possible structural changes in chia seeds dietary fiber. Central composite design was applied to optimize the sonication treatment process (amplitude 55%, time 20 min, and temperature 40°C) based on the oil holding capacity (OHC) and water holding capacity (WHC) as responses. Under these optimum conditions, ultrasound-treated IDF exhibited better functional and physicochemical properties such as OHC, WHC, glucose adsorption capacity (GAC), and water retention capacity (WRC) than untreated IDF. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy further confirmed the structural changes in treated and untreated IDF to explain the changes in the studied parameters.