Chia Seeds in Baking

BY KIMBERLY TEHAN

What are Chia seeds?

Edible seeds that come from the Mexican desert

plant, Salvia hispanica.

Cultivated since 3,500 B.C.
Used by the Mayan and Aztecs to provide stamina
and endurance for running and fighting battles

George. E. I, Diejun C, Sean X. L, Suyong L. Pasting and rheological properties of oat products
dry-blended with ground chia seeds. LWT - Food Science And Technology [serial online].
n.d.;55:148-156. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 6, 2014.

What are Chia Seeds?

Historic and modern super food"

Packed with protein, fiber, polyunsaturated fatty

acids, antioxidants calcium and manganese

Hydroscopic, can absorb 10 times its weight in water
to form a gel
Chia gel consistency and texture easily mimic
dairy/eggs in a recipe

B.L. Olivos-Lugo, M.. Valdivia-Lpez, A. Tecante. Thermal and physicochemical properties

and nutritional value of the protein fraction of Mexican chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.)Food
Science and Technology International, 16 (2010): 8996. Available from: Medline. Accessed
February 6, 2014.

Research Question

What is the Benefit of Adding

Chia Seeds as a Functional
Ingredient to Baked Goods?

Study 1: Chia Gel can be used as Egg or Oil

Replacer in Cake formulations
Rafael et al.
Chia gel was used to replace 25%, 50%, and 75% of oil

or eggs in a control cake formulation

Increased the unsaturated fat profile
Decreased calorie, cholesterol and saturated fat
content
Weight of cake was not affected, volume decreased
Demonstrated that chia gel can replace as much as
25% of oil or eggs in cakes while yielding a more
nutritious product with acceptable sensory
characteristics
Rafael B, Alicia A, Alberto E. L. Research: Chia (Salvia hispanica L) Gel Can Be Used as Egg or
Oil Replacer in Cake Formulations. Journal Of The American Dietetic Association [serial online].
n.d.;110:946-949. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 6, 2014.

Study 2: Evaluation of Whole Chia Flour and

Hydrogenated Vegetable Fat in Pound Cake
Pizzaro et al.

Chia seeds impacted the sensory perception (taste,

color, volume, moisture, and firmness)

Decrease in specific volume
Color was affected- less saturated, with a red tint
No effect on moisture or ability to retain water
throughout the shelf life
60% of participants reported they would purchase the
chia fortified pound cake
Pizzaro Luna P, Eveline Lopes A, Norma Cristina S, Yoon Kil C. Evaluation of whole chia (Salvia
hispanica L.) flour and hydrogenated vegetable fat in pound cake. LWT - Food Science And
Technology [serial online]. n.d.;54:73-79. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed
February 6, 2014.

Application to Practice
Chia seeds can easily be incorporated into the diet of

a client who is suffering from celiac disease or other

gastrointestinal diseases, high cholesterol, or
nutrient deficiencies
Great for vegans or vegetarians, and people
struggling to lose weight
Many nutritional benefits from this tiny seed, with
minimal to no compromise to taste or texture

References
1. Gable C. Cooking with chia seeds. Better Nutrition [serial online]. October 2008;70(10):58.
Available from: CINAHL Plus, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 6, 2014.
2. Coorey R, Grant A, Jayasena V. Effects of Chia Flour Incorporation on the Nutritive Quality
and Consumer Acceptance of Chips. Journal of Food Research [serial online]. November
2012;1(4):85. Available from: Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File, Ipswich, MA. Accessed
February 6, 2014.
3. George. E. I, Diejun C, Sean X. L, Suyong L. Pasting and rheological properties of oat products
dry-blended with ground chia seeds. LWT - Food Science And Technology [serial online].
n.d.;55:148-156. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 6, 2014.
4. B.L. Olivos-Lugo, M.. Valdivia-Lpez, A. Tecante. Thermal and physicochemical properties
and nutritional value of the protein fraction of Mexican chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.)Food
Science and Technology International, 16 (2010): 8996. Available from: Medline. Accessed
February 6, 2014.
5. lvarez-Chavez L, Valdivia-Lpez M, Aburto-Jurez M, Tecante A. Chemical Characterization
of the Lipid Fraction of Mexican Chia Seed (Salvia hispanica L.). International Journal Of Food
Properties [serial online]. July 2008;11(3):687-697. Available from: Academic Search Complete,
Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 6, 2014.
6. Rafael B, Alicia A, Alberto E. L. Research: Chia (Salvia hispanica L) Gel Can Be Used as Egg or
Oil Replacer in Cake Formulations. Journal Of The American Dietetic Association [serial online].
n.d.;110:946-949. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 6, 2014.
7. Pizzaro Luna P, Eveline Lopes A, Norma Cristina S, Yoon Kil C. Evaluation of whole chia (Salvia
hispanica L.) flour and hydrogenated vegetable fat in pound cake. LWT - Food Science And
Technology [serial online]. n.d.;54:73-79. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed
February 6, 2014.
8. Ciftci O, Przybylski R, Rudziska M. Lipid components of flax, perilla, and chia seeds.
European Journal Of Lipid Science & Technology [serial online]. July 2012;114(7):794. Available
from: Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 6, 2014