Impact of Processing and Intestinal Conditions on in Vitro Digestion of Chia (Salvia hispanica) Seeds and Derivatives

Abstract

Chia seeds present with an excellent nutrient profile, including polyunsaturated fat, protein, fibre and bioactive compounds, which make them a potential food or ingredient to bring beneficial health effects. However, their tough structure could mean that these seeds remain hardly disrupted during digestion, thus preventing the release and digestibility of nutrients. In the present study, different chia products (seeds, whole flour, partially defatted flour and sprouts) were assessed in terms of proteolysis, lipolysis, calcium and polyphenols bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity. In vitro digestions were performed supporting standard intestinal (pH 7, bile salts concentration 10 mM) and altered (pH 6, bile salts concentration 1 mM) conditions. The altered conditions significantly reduced lipolysis, but not proteolysis. Regarding the food matrix, compared to the chia seeds, whole and partially defatted flour increased the hydrolysis of lipids and protein, relating to reduced particle size. Sprouting had an enhancing effect on proteolysis but prevented lipolysis. Calcium bioaccessibility dropped in all the samples in the two intestinal conditions. The digestion process led to increased polyphenols bioaccessibility in all the structures, but reduced antioxidant activity except in the milled structures. In conclusion, milling should be applied to chia seeds prior to consumption in cases where enhancing the potential uptake of macro and micronutrients is targeted, and sprouting is suitable to enhance protein digestibility and reduce lipolysis.

Enhancing the nutritional profile and digestibility of lentil flour by solid state fermentation withPleurotus ostreatus

“…Some of the components that the fungus takes as substrates are present in the plant cell walls 25 , so its degradation could facilitate eventual structural breakdown in the milling process as compared to unfermented substrates. The reduction of the particle size of a food substrate has been repeatedly associated with increased digestibility and bioaccessibility of nutrients in nuts and seeds 28,29 . This observation is explained by the fact that the higher the matrix disruption, the easier the nutrients release to the digestion medium, leading to higher enzyme-substrate accessibility.…”

Effect of Processing on Selected Nutrient Profile of Seeds used for Inclusion in Energy Bars of Sports Person

“…Roasting and popping leads to decrease in the calcium content of the chia seeds. Calvo-Lerma et al, (2020) also reported that germination promotes the hydrolysis of chia proteins, making them completely digestible, and causes a significant increase in polyphenols and calcium concentration in chia sprouts. Phosphorus content was significantly increased (3.57%) during germination, while it decreased significantly during roasting and popping.…”

In Vitro Simulation of Human Colonic Fermentation: A Practical Approach towards Models’ Design and Analytical Tools

“…Animal models have been extensively applied to assess the digestion process, but the fact that animals' microbiota differ from humans' microbiota is widely accepted [6]. For these reasons, alternative methodologies to study digestion have increased, including in vitro digestion models, which enable the simulation of digestion in the laboratory [7][8][9][10]. These models allow for the possibility of sampling at any point of the process, assessing digestion of any food or nutrient and establishing its effect on the microbiota profile, or determining the products generated by the microbiota metabolism [7,11].…”