Assessing gelling properties of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) flour through rheological characterization.

Background: Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds are considered a promising ingredient for the development of functional products owing to their high nutritional value: 343 g kg-1 lipids, 251 g kg-1 protein and 226 g kg-1 fibre. Considering chia's technological capacities, mainly the ability to swell when absorbing water and gel-forming properties, its addition to a food matrix can affect texture and rheological behaviour, acting as a texturing and stabilizing agent. The aim of the present work was to assess the gelling properties of chia flour through the rheological characterization of 100, 130 and 150 g kg-1 chia flour gels.; Results: According to the mechanical spectra, all gels presented weak gel-like structures, as G' was always less than a decade higher than G″, but higher chia flour concentrations showed a considerable increase in viscoelastic moduli. The gels had relatively low maturation times, almost instantaneous for lower concentrations, but the cooling rate affected the dynamics of formation of the gel structure.; Conclusion: Based on texture and rheological properties, gels with 130 g kg-1 of chia flour processed at 90 °C for 30 min showed the most suitable characteristics for use in the development of new food applications. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.