Abstract
ABSTRACT: The mysterious ancient Mesoamerican Indian crop chia (Salvia hispanica) is revived and expanding worldwide due to its richness of valuable nutraceuticals such as α-linolenic acid (ALA), antioxidants, food fiber, gels, and proteins. We carried out a pilot experiment on chia planting in non-frost Sichuan Basin, at Hechuan Base (30˚0′ 43″ N, 106˚7′ 41″ E, 216 m), Southwest University, Chongqing, China. The split-plot trial contained two factors, 3 spring-summer sowing times as main plots, and 6 densities as subplots, with 3 replicates. Phenological, botanical, adversity, yield, and seed quality traits were investigated. Plants were very tall, suffered from lodging, and flowered in mid-October. Sichuan Basin can be considered as a north edge for growing chia, with low yield (680 kg/hectare) because of insufficient seed filling and maturation in autumn-winter season (1000-seed weight of 1.14 g). However, its ALA content is 5 percent points higher than the seed-donor commercial bottle (65.06%/63.96% VS 59.35%/59.74% for black/white seeds), accompanied by decrease oleic and stearic acid, while linoleic acid and palmitic acid are equivalent. Considering its short-day habit, it is recommended to try sowing in middle summer (from late June to early August) to avoid too long growing period, excessive vegetative growth, and waste of field and climate resources caused by spring-summer sowing. Furthermore, winter sowing of chia with mulch cover could also be tried, with an expectation of harvesting in summer. Most importantly, only when the photoperiod-insensitive early flowering stocks are created, chia can be recommended as a low-risk crop to the farmers of this region.
Highlights
Nowadays, trends of eating style of modern people are changing depending on their individual preferences for food safety and for healthier food derivatives in which animal fat is replaced by vegetable oil sources more in line with nutritional recommendations
Sources traditionally used in pre-Colombian times, and with recently renewed interest and research undertakings, this ancient noble crop has again emerged as a new potential superfood and become a rediscovered “new” crop (AYERZA & COATES, 2009)
The oil contained in chia seeds in high percentage (>30%) is the richest natural source of ω-3 fat, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is the sole precursor for biosynthesis of the physiologically crucial PUFAs (SDA, EPA and DHA) in human body after its ingestion from food sources (AYERZA & COATES, 2002)
Summary
Trends of eating style of modern people are changing depending on their individual preferences for food safety and for healthier food derivatives in which animal fat is replaced by vegetable oil sources more in line with nutritional recommendations. Because of its high contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, and protein in seeds, it can be widely used for many kinds of cookie recipes and industrial products for food and health-promoting purposes besides its traditional seed and leaves consumption (CAHILL, 2004; AYERZA & COATES, 2009; PEIRETTI, 2010). The literatures mentioned that chia seed contains an excellent source of ω-3 PUFAs (58-64% of total lipids), high content of protein (1624%) and lipids (31-35%), and high level of fiber (34-56%) (SOSA et al, 2016). The oil contained in chia seeds in high percentage (>30%) is the richest natural source of ω-3 fat, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is the sole precursor for biosynthesis of the physiologically crucial PUFAs (SDA, EPA and DHA) in human body after its ingestion from food sources (AYERZA & COATES, 2002)
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