Fatty acid content in chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds grown in four Mexican states

Introduction: there is scientific evidence that chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is native to Mexico and was part of the prehispanic diet alongside maize, beans and amaranth. Upon arrival of the Spanish colonizers, its use was suppressed from Aztec and Mayan customs and traditions. It is not until the end of the twentieth century that chia seeds attracted great interest due to their high alpha-linoleic acid content and its relationship to human nutrition and health. Objective: determine the fatty acid profile in chia seeds grown in various regions of Mexico. Methods: five lots of chia seeds were obtained, from which the oil was extracted in a Soxhlet device with petroleum ether. The fatty acid profile was determined by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector. Results: chromatographic analysis permitted identification and quantification of nine fatty acids in the chia oil samples: palmitic (C16) and palmitoleic (C16:1), stearic (C18), cis-9 oleic (C18:1 c9), cis-11 oleic (C18:1 c11), cis-12 oleic (C18:1 c12), linoleic (C18: 2 c9c12), arachidic (C20), linolenic (C18:3 c6c9c12) and alpha-linolenic (C18:3 c9c12c15). Alpha-linolenic acid had the greatest concentration (62.67 %). Conclusions: the content of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in oil from chia seeds grown in various regions of Mexico is within the range reported by other countries.