Avaliação da composição centesimal e do perfil de ácidos graxos presentes nas sementes Salvia hispânica L. (Chia)

Abstract

Chia seeds (Salvia hispanic L.) are originary from mountainous, indigenous areas of western and central Mexico. The use of this seed in human feeding for the Mayans was synonymous of energy, vitality and sustaining. According to scientific literature, chia is a excellent source of fiber, proteins, antioxidants, and also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, in particular alpha-linolenic acid (LNA). For being rich in that fatty acid, this seed has drawn attention of scientific community mainly about its composition and its use in feeding. This study aims to determine the centesimal composition and fatty acid profile present in Salvia Hispanic L.(chia) seeds marketed in Brazil. Concerning to the centesimal composition data obtained from the three seed lots analyzed, the average humidity was 8.14%, protein 20.11%, lipids 27.72% and ashes 3.94%. Among the experiments it was observed that the highest concentration of saturated fatty acids was for palmitic acid - 68.04mg/g – whereas the highest concentration for the unsaturated ones was 551.02 mg/g for LNA. Values obtained from the seeds studied are accordance to the literature. Those data state that chia seeds present high level of LNA so they can be used not only directly in human feeding but also in preparing new recipes to manufacture new feeding products.