Abstract

The study analysed the fatty and amino acid compositions of chia seeds and the physicochemical characterisation of chia seeds oil. The quantification of amino and fatty acids was done using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). The amino acids from chia seeds were leucine, valine, phenylalanine, lysine, isoleucine, threonine, histidine, and methionine with 1.63, 1.37, 1.34, 1.14, 0.98, 0.98, 0.88 and 0.81 g/100 g, respectively. Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were 3.95 and 30.48%, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean ratio of Omega 6/Omega 3 fatty acids was 0.333. The established physicochemical characteristics of CSO were acid value 2.63 mg KOH/g, peroxide value 6.23 meq active oxygen/kg, iodine value 200.721 g I₂/100 g, saponification value 193.345 mg KOH/g, refractive index 1.454 at 40°C relative density 0.8824 g/cm³ at 20°C and specific gravity 0.882 at 40°C. The fatty acid and amino acid profiling of chia seeds revealed the presence of an appreciable amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and essential amino acids. The physicochemical characteristics of CSO constitute a drying oil category that requires timely usage and proper storage condition to reduce rancidity from air or light exposure.

Key words: Chia seeds, chia seeds oil, amino acids, fatty acids, physicochemical characteristics.