The Effects of Chia Defatted Flour as a Nutritional Supplement in C57BL/6 Mice Fed a Low-Quality Diet.

Today, consumption of diets rich in saturated fat and fructose, associated with a variety of metabolic deregulations, has increased. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with a residue of defatted chia seed on a diet with low nutritional quality. To do this, C57BL/6 male mice were fed with the Control (C), Low-Nutritional-Quality (LNQ), or supplemented-with-chia-defatted-flour (LNQ+C) diets. After 12 weeks, the glucose and lactate levels were determined in the serum, liver, and kidney, along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, antioxidant enzyme activity, reduced glutathione (GSH), and protein oxidation (AOPP). The LNQ diet increased the glucose and lactate levels (+25% and +50% approx. in the liver, with respect to the control group) and generated oxidative stress by modifying the levels of ROS and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, causing oxidative damage to proteins (+12% in the liver, with respect to the control). Chia supplementation helped to restore the glucose to control levels and modulate the endogenous antioxidant system, resulting in a decrease in protein oxidation products with no differences compared to the control group. In conclusion, supplementation with chia showed beneficial effects on the general health of mice, even when fed a low-nutritional-quality diet.

Antioxidant activity of chia flour as a food supplement in a cellular model: Repercussions of processing and in vitro digestion.

Food processing and digestion can alter bioactive compound composition of food, affecting their potential biological activity. In this study, we evaluated the direct and protective antioxidant effects of polyphenols extracted from defatted chia flour (DCF) (salviaflaside, rosmarinic and fertaric acid as major compounds), sweet cookies supplemented with DCF (CFC) (same major compounds), and their digested fractions (rosmarinic acid, salviaflaside, fertaric and salvianolic E/B/L acid as major compounds) in HepG2 cells in basal and in oxidative stress conditions. DCF showed protective antioxidant effects by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein oxidation products (POP) while increasing reduced glutathione (GSH). Additionally, CFC revealed similar protective effects and even showed enhanced modulation of the antioxidant system due to the activation of antioxidant enzymes. However, the digested fractions only decreased ROS, indicating continued antioxidant effects. This study underscores the importance of evaluating manufacturing and digestion effects to confirm a food's antioxidant properties.

Chia Oil Microencapsulation Using Tannic Acid and Soy Protein Isolate as Wall Materials.

The use of proteins to produce oil-containing microcapsules has been previously analyzed; however, their chemical modification, in order to improve their performance as wall materials, is a strategy that has not been widely developed yet. This study aimed to analyze the chemical modification of the proteins through cross-linking reactions with tannic acid and to evaluate their performance as wall materials to the microencapsulation of oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The cross-linking reaction of isolated soy protein and tannic acid was carried out at pH 10-11 and 60 °C. Subsequently, emulsions were made with a high-speed homogenizer and microcapsules were obtained by spray drying. Microcapsules were characterized by particle size, morphology (SEM), total pore area and % porosity (mercury intrusion methodology), superficial properties (contact angle), and size distribution of oil droplets (by laser diffraction). Additionally, encapsulation efficiency was determined as a function of total and surface oil. Oil chemical stability and quality were studied by Rancimat, hydroperoxide values, and fatty acid profiles. In addition, a storage test was performed for 180 days, and released oil and polyphenols were determined by in vitro gastric digestion. Moreover, the fatty acid composition of the oil and the total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of polyphenols were analyzed. The results showed that spray-dried microcapsules had an encapsulation efficiency between 54 and 78%. The oxidative stability exhibited a positive correlation between the amount of polyphenols used and the induction time, with a maximum of 27 h. The storage assay showed that the peroxide value was lower for those cross-linked microcapsules concerning control after 180 days. After the storage time, the omega-3 content was reduced by 49% for soy protein samples, while cross-linked microcapsules maintained the initial concentration. The in-vitro digestion assay showed a decrease in the amount of oil released from the cross-linked microcapsules and an increase in the amount of polyphenols and a higher antioxidant capacity for all samples (for example, 238.10 mgGAE/g and 554.22 mg TE/g for undigested microcapsules with TA 40% versus 322.09 mgGAE/g and 663.61 mg TE/g for digested samples). The microcapsules showed a high degree of protection of the encapsulated oil, providing a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAS) and polyphenols even in prolonged storage times.

Dietary supplementation with chia polyphenols alleviates oxidative stress and improves egg nutritional quality in Japanese quails under heat stress.

Heat stress in poultry is a major concern, especially in regions with hot summers and scarce cooling infrastructure. Dietary supplementation with antioxidants, such as polyphenols, has risen as a strategy to mitigate the physiological consequences of heat stress. A by-product of the extraction of oil from chia seeds, which is discarded if not used, could be a possible source of polyphenols. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with polyphenols from defatted chia seed cake on the general performance, and oxidative status of Japanese quail exposed to heat stress. Furthermore, productive performance, egg quality and yolk fatty acid composition were also assessed. A total of 36 females (96 days of age) were randomly assigned to different diets: BASAL (control), LDCP (low dose of chia polyphenols), or HDCP (high dose of chia polyphenols). Half the animals in each diet group were exposed to 34 °C for 9 h a day (Heat Stress; HS), while the other half remained at the standard 24 °C (No Heat Stress; NHS). After 23 days of experimental conditions, animals under HS showed higher body temperatures and time spent panting, but lower egg laying rate. Moreover, HS modulated the activity of catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes, increasing lipid peroxidation in serum and liver; and increased saturated fatty acids in egg yolk. Supplementation with chia polyphenols helped to mitigate the HS effects, especially on glutathione peroxidase activity, decreasing lipid peroxidation. In addition, supplementation with HDCP showed the highest proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids in liver and egg yolk. In conclusion, the use of defatted chia seed cake could represent a sustainable strategy to mitigate heat stress effects on Japanese quail, due to its capacity to decrease oxidative stress and improve the nutritional quality of egg, while decreasing the amount of waste generated by the food industry.

Novel cookie formulation with defatted sesame flour: Evaluation of its technological and sensory properties. Changes in phenolic profile, antioxidant activity, and gut microbiota after simulated gastrointestinal digestion.

Defatted sesame flour (DSF), a coproduct of the sesame oil extraction process, is often discarded despite having high polyphenol content. The aim of this study was to improve the antioxidant properties of cookies with increasing amounts of DSF (5, 10, and 20%) and study its impact on processing and gastrointestinal digestion. Besides, we evaluated the effect of this incorporation on the technological and sensory properties of cookies. The formulation with 10% (SFC10) showed technological quality similar to control, and was the most accepted by consumers. After baking, 13 out of 25 polyphenols from DSF were observed, and only 19% of the initial SFC10 polyphenols would be potentially absorbed after digestion. Besides, the addition of DSF benefits the microbiota composition after colonic fermentation. In conclusion, supplementation with 10% of DSF in cookies improves sensorial acceptance and antioxidant properties, without affecting the technological ones.

Defatted chia flour as functional ingredient in sweet cookies. How do Processing, simulated gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation affect its antioxidant properties?

The aim of this work was to improve the antioxidant quality of cookies using defatted chia flour (DCF), which is a by-|product of the food industry. We prepared cookies containing DFC (5, 10 and 20%), and evaluated the technological and sensory qualities of cookies. Additionally, we verified the effects of processing and simulated gastrointestinal digestion on polyphenols content. The addition of DFC did not affect the technological quality of cookies, with the exception of color. Furthermore, cookies supplemented with 10% DFC were sensorial preferred over the others. The addition of DFC increased the polyphenol content and the in vitro antioxidant capacity of cookies. Besides, the simulated gastrointestinal digestion suggested that 73% of total polyphenols could be absorbed in the intestine, showing an antioxidant effect greater than expected, also showing prebiotic effects. Supplementation of cookies with 10% DFC could be recommended to improve antioxidant quality without reducing the technological or sensorial properties.

Targeted metabolomics to assess the authenticity of bakery products containing chia, sesame and flax seeds.

Food fraud is perpetrated with increasing frequency along the food chain, triggering the need for new and modern tools to detect food authenticity. Chia, flax and sesame seeds are well known for the good nutritional characteristics of their oils, but there is a lack of knowledge regarding the authenticity of these seeds and food products containing them as well. In the present work, we propose a method based on targeted metabolomics to identify the polyphenols present in seeds, which can be used as markers of authenticity. We tentatively identified 44 polyphenols in the different seeds by HPLC-DAD-ESI-qTOF (MS/MS). Chemometrics allowed the selection of 12 compounds, which are nominated as novel markers for seed authentication. Some of these compounds were also found in a lab-scale preparation of cookies supplemented with the studied seeds. The proposed chemical markers resisted the baking process, representing good candidates to be used in the authentication of raw material and bakery products containing these seeds.