Chia seeds as a source of natural lipid antioxidants

TLDR

Chia seeds were studied as a natural source of lipid antioxidants. Antioxidant activity was assessed by two β‑carotene bleaching assays using coupled β‑carotene/linoleic acid oxidation. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of defatted chia seeds showed strong antioxidant activity, with oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and key phenolics such as flavonol glycosides, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and flavonol aglycones (kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin).

Abstract

Abstract Chia ( Salvia sp) seeds were investigated as a source of natural lipid antioxidants. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of defatted chia seeds possessed potent antioxidant activity. Analysis of 2 batches of chia‐seed oils demonstrated marked difference in the fatty acid composition of the oils. In both batches, the oils had high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The major antioxidant activity in the nonhydrolyzed extract was caused by flavonol glycosides, chlorogenic acid (7.1 × 10 −4 mol/kg of seed) and caffeic acid (6.6 × 10 −3 m/kg). Major antioxidants of the hydrolyzed extracts were flavonol aglycones/kaempferol (1.1 × 10 −3 m/kg), quercetin (2.0 × 10 −4 m/kg) and myricetin (3.1 × 10 −3 m/kg); and caffeic acid (1.35 × 10 −2 m/kg). Two methods were used to measure antioxidant activities. Both were based on measuring bleaching of β ‐carotene in the coupled oxidation of β ‐carotene and linoleic acid in the presence of added antioxidants.