Oil Bodies from Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) and Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) Seeds for Innovative Food Applications: Microstructure, Composition and Physical Stability

Abstract

Exploring and deciphering the biodiversity of oil bodies (OBs) recovered from oilseeds are of growing interest in the preparation of sustainable, natural and healthy plant-based food products. This study focused on chia (Salvia hispanica L.) and camelina (Camelina sativa L.) seed OBs. A green refinery process including ultrasound to remove mucilage, aqueous extraction by grinding and centrifugation to recover OBs from the seeds was used. The microstructure, composition and physical stability of the OBs were examined. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images showed that chia and camelina seed OBs are spherical assemblies coated by a layer of phospholipids and proteins, which have been identified by gel electrophoresis. The mean diameters determined by laser light scattering measurements were 2.3 and 1.6 µm for chia and camelina seed OBs, respectively. The chia and camelina seed OBs were rich in lipids and other bioactive components with, respectively, 64% and 30% α-linolenic acid representing 70% and 53% of the total fatty acids in the sn-2 position of the triacylglycerols, 0.23% and 0.26% phospholipids, 3069 and 2674 mg/kg oil of β-sitosterol, and lipophilic antioxidants: 400 and 670 mg/kg oil of γ-tocopherol. Phenolic compounds were recovered from the aqueous extracts, such as rutin from camelina and caffeic acid from chia. Zeta-potential measurements showed changes from about −40 mV (pH 9) to values that were positive below the isoelectric points of pH 5.1 and 3.6 for chia and camelina seed OBs, respectively. Below pH 6.5, physical instability of the natural oil-in-water emulsions with aggregation and phase separation was found. This study will contribute to the development of innovative and sustainable food products based on natural oil-in-water emulsions containing chia and camelina seed OBs for their nutritional and health benefits.

Camelina sativa Oilseed Cake as a Potential Source of Biopolymer Films: A Chemometric Approach to Synthesis, Characterization, and Optimization

“…Camelina seeds are garnering renewed attention due to their rich nutritional profile. Camelina stands out as a leading candidate for use in the bioeconomy thanks to its intriguing fatty acid profiles among oilseeds [19]. Oil (30% to 49%), protein (24% to 31%), carbohydrates, dietary fibers, ω-3 and ω-6 acids, tocopherols, phytosterols, and phenolic compounds, among other nutrients, are abundant in camelina seeds [20][21][22].…”

Lipid droplets are versatile organelles involved in plant development and plant response to environmental changes

“…In plants, vitamin E and carotenoids (the precursors of vitamin A) are described to accumulate in plastoglobules inside plastids rather than in cytosolic LDs (Deruere et al, 1994;Vidi et al, 2006;Zita et al, 2022). Some studies reported the presence of tocopherols in seed LDs (Zaaboul et al, 2018;Lopez et al, 2023). It remains to be determined with precision whether plant cytosolic LDs contain other vitamins and which ones.…”

Nutritional and Functional New Perspectives and Potential Health Benefits of Quinoa and Chia Seeds

“…According to USA dietary guidelines in 2000, chia seeds can be used as a substitute in food products but in smaller quantities, i.e., not more than 48 g/day. Chia seeds are incorporated in various food products such as pasta, biscuits, cereals, cakes, and snacks [134,135]. Chia seeds/gels can be used as an alternative to eggs and fat due to their hydrophilic property.…”