Chia Facts

* Chia is the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids and contains natural antioxidants It is available as raw material for use in Functional Foods, Nutraceuticals and Dietary Supplements. Chia’s unequaled omega-3 fatty acid stability is a result of the natural antioxidants it contains. Oxidation of food lipids is a major concern for both consumers and manufacturers. If not controlled, oxidation can produce off-flavors (typically a fishy flavor), and promotes degenerative diseases associated with aging such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, cataracts, immune system decline, and brain dysfunction. The natural antioxidants in chia gives it an enormous advantage over all other sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

* Chia, when used as a source of omega-3 fatty acids does not require the addition of artificial antioxidants such as vitamin E. Vitamin E has been shown to nullify the protector effects of cardiovascular drugs, and actually promotes oxidation when used at higher levels.

* Chia, when added to animal diets, results in a dramatic reduction (up 30.6%) in the saturated fatty acid content of the products produced. This reduction is significantly greater than that found when feeding marine products (fish and algae) and flaxseed. Consumption of saturated fatty acids is associated with cardiovascular diseases, with their effects on blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) being stronger than those of dietary cholesterol. This difference between chia and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids has important implications for commercialization.

* Eggs from hens fed chia have an α-linolenic fatty acid to DHA ratio similar to that found in human milk. When very high quantities of chia are added to the diet, α-linolenic elongation and desaturation are delayed, and DHA (a very unstable fatty acid) content remains constant. This means that if excess amounts of omega-3 are added to hen diets it is essentially stored as α-linolenic fatty acid. This metabolic behavior, together with the potent antioxidant activity of chia's flavonols and cinnamic compounds, allows hens to produce eggs having greater stability to resist oxidation than eggs containing high DHA contents.

* Chia has no cholesterol. This is different than fish meat, fish oil, & fish meal all of which

contain significant amounts. For health conscious consumers this gives chia an important advantage compared to fish products.

* Chia can be stored for years without deterioration in flavor, odor or nutritional value. This is an advantage compared with marine products since fish oil and fish meal as well as algae oil and powder require special packaging and storage conditions to prevent even minor changes in these characteristics occurring over time.

* Chia is a sustainable and environmentally friendly product. The high oil content of its leaves acts as an extremely potent insect repellent and eliminates the need for pesticides being used to protect the crop. The use of chia as an omega-3 source prevents depletion of natural fish stocks, and also eliminates concerns about the accumulation of toxins such as dioxin and mercury that may accumulate in fish and fish products. Solvent extraction and artificial preservatives are not needed when chia seed is used in human or animal diets. This is another advantage compared to omega-3 sources such as algae.

* Chia has a long history as a human food, starting with its domestication by ancient Mexicans in 2,600 B.C. Amaranth, beans, chia, and corn comprised the main components of the Aztec and Mayan diets when Columbus arrived in the New World. Many people are still using this ancient grain in the preparation of a popular and refreshing beverage called “chia fresca” which is consumed in Mexico, Central America, as well as in California and Arizona in the US.

* Chia is ideal for enriching a number of products such as infant formulas, baby foods, baked goods, nutrition bars, yogurt, sauces, etc. When used as an animal feed omega-3 enriched products such as eggs, poultry, beef, ham, milk, cheese, etc. are produced. Chia is an excellent source of protein, minerals and vitamin B, is simple to use in feed preparation, and is safe for both humans and animals.

* Another α-linolenic rich crop is flax. This is primarily used to manufacture industrial products, such as coatings, floor coverings, paints and varnish, however. Although many efforts have been made to use flaxseed for omega-3 food enrichment, trials have shown the negative effects that the antinutritional factors in flax have on animal and human health. In order to safely use flax in a diet in any significant quantities, the seeds have to be detoxified. However, the most efficient processes require solvents, and still flax seed is not completely detoxified.

Omega-3 enriched foods by adding chia seeds
Food	Chia added to the ration	ω-3content with chia without chia ³		Daily value per serving⁴
	%	mg/100 gr of edible portion		%
Eggs ¹
white	10	742	90	57^a
brown	10	716	76	55 ^a
Poultry meat ¹
white	10	709	95	55 ^b
dark	10	613	112	47^b
Coẃs milk ¹	2	45	34	8.5 ^c
Wheat bread ²	2	427	20	33 ^d
Yogurt ²	2	434	27	82 ^e
Hamburger ²	1	285	82	22 ^f
Chicken noodle soup ² ^m	1	223	20	42^g
Candy peanut bar ²	5	1019	2	39^h
Granola bar²ⁿ	10	2094	60	45 ⁱ
Corn flakes ²	10	2045	11	44 ^j
¹: animals fed chia diets; ²: chia added as food raw material; ³: Agricultural Research Service. 2002. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Release 15, Washington D.C., USA; ⁴: percent daily values of ω-3 fatty acids are based on a 2,300 calorie diet. Canada [dept of] Health and Welfare. 1990. Nutrition recommendations. Canadian Government Publishing Center, Ottawa, Canada. Serving Size:^a: 100 gr (two eggs); ^b: 100 gr; ^c: 244 gr (one cup);^d: 100 gr (four slice); ^e: 245 gr (one cup); ^f: 100 gr (one sandwich); ^g: 246 gr (one cup); ^h: 50 gr (one bar); ⁱ: 28 gr (one bar); ^j: 28 gr (one cup); ^m: canned and condensed; ⁿ: hard, plain;

* Summary: Scientific evidence strongly supports the use of chia as being the most efficient source of omega-3 fatty acids which can be used to enrich foods. Adding chia seeds or meal directly to the final product, or including it in animal diets has not shown any of the problems other omega-3 sources such as flaxseed or marine products have shown such as fishy flavor, animal weight loss, digestive problems, diarrhea, allergies, etc.