| Salvia hispanica | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Salvia |
| Species: | S. hispanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Salvia hispanica | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Salvia hispanica, one of several related species commonly known aschia (/ˈtʃiːə/), is a species of flowering plant in themint family,Lamiaceae. It is native to central and southern Mexico andGuatemala. It is considered apseudocereal, cultivated for its edible,hydrophilicchia seed, grown and commonly used as food in several countries of westernSouth America, western Mexico, and thesouthwestern United States.
Chia is anannual herb growing up to 1.75 metres (5 feet 9 inches) tall, withoppositeleaves that are 4–8 cm (1+1⁄2–3+1⁄4 in) long and3–5 cm (1+1⁄4–2 in) wide. Its flowers are purple or white and are produced in numerous clusters in aspike at the end of each stem.[2]
Typically, the seeds are small ovals with a diameter around1 mm (1⁄32 in). They are mottle-colored, with brown, gray, black, and white. The seeds are hydrophilic, absorbing up to 12 times their weight in liquid when soaked. While soaking, the seeds develop amucilaginous coating that gives chia-based beverages a distinctivegelatinous texture.[citation needed]
Many plants cultivated asS. hispanica are in factS. officinalis subsp.lavandulifolia (syn.S. lavandulifolia).[3]
The wordchia is derived from theNahuatl wordchian, meaning 'oily'.[1]
Other plants known aschia includeSalvia columbariae,[4] which is sometimes called "golden chia",[citation needed]Salvia polystachia, andSalvia tiliifolia.
Chia is native to central and southern Mexico andGuatemala.[5] It is hardy fromUSDA Zones 9–12.
Chia is grown and consumed commercially in its native Mexico and Guatemala, as well as Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia,Nicaragua, northwestern Argentina, parts of Australia, and the southwestern United States.[4][6] New patented varieties of chia have been bred in Kentucky for cultivation in northern latitudes of the United States.[7]
It is grown commercially for itsseed, a food rich inomega-3 fatty acids since the seeds yield 25–30% extractableoil, includingα-linolenic acid. Typical composition of the fat of the oil is 55% ω-3, 18% ω-6, 6% ω-9, and 10%saturated fat.[8]
The length of the growing cycle for chia varies based on location and is influenced byelevation.[9] For production sites located in different ecosystems in Bolivia, Ecuador and northwestern Argentina, growing cycles are between 100 and 150 days in duration.[10] Accordingly, commercial production fields are located in the range of 8–2,200 m (26–7,218 ft) altitude across a variety ofecosystems ranging from tropicalcoastal desert, totropical rain forest, and inter-Andean dry valley.[10] In northwestern Argentina, a time span from planting to harvest of 120–180 days is reported for fields located at elevations of 900–1,500 m (3,000–4,900 ft).[11]
S. hispanica is a short-day flowering plant,[12] indicating itsphotoperiodic sensitivity and lack of photoperiodic variability in traditional cultivars, which has limited commercial use of chia seeds to tropical and subtropical latitudes until 2012.[13] Now, traditional domesticated lines ofSalvia species grow naturally or can be cultivated intemperate zones at higher latitudes in the United States.[4][12] InArizona andKentucky, seed maturation of traditional chia cultivars is stopped byfrost before or after flower set, preventing seed harvesting.[12] Advances inplant breeding during 2012, however, led to development of new early-flowering chiagenotypes proving to have higher yields in Kentucky.[13]
Seed yield varies depending oncultivars, mode of cultivation, and growing conditions by geographic region. For example, commercial fields in Argentina and Colombia vary in yield range from 450 to 1,250 kilograms per hectare (400 to 1,120 lb/acre).[11][14] A small-scale study with three cultivars grown in the inter-Andean valleys of Ecuador produced yields up to 2,300 kg/ha (2,100 lb/acre), indicating that the favorable growing environment and cultivar interacted to produce the high yields.[9] Genotype has a larger effect on yield than on protein content, oil content, fatty acid composition, or phenolic compounds, whereas high temperature reduces oil content and degree of unsaturation, and raises protein content.[citation needed]
The cultivation ofS. hispanica requires light to medium clay or sandy soils.[15] The plant prefers well-drained, moderately fertile soils, but can cope with acid soils and moderate drought.[13][15] Sown chia seeds need moisture for seedling establishment, while the maturing chia plant does not tolerate wet soils during growth.[13]
Traditional cultivation techniques ofS. hispanica include soil preparation by disruption and loosening followed by seed broadcasting.[16] In modern commercial production, a typical sowing rate of 6 kg/ha (5.4 lb/acre) and row spacing of 0.7–0.8 m (2 ft 4 in – 2 ft 7 in) are usually applied.[11]
S. hispanica can be cultivated under low fertilizer input, using 100 kg/ha (89 lb/acre) nitrogen or in some cases, no fertilizer is used.[12][14]
Irrigation frequency in chia production fields may vary from none to eight irrigations per growing season, depending on climatic conditions and rainfall.[14]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 486 kcal (2,030 kJ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
42.12 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 34.4 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30.74 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturated | 3.330 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trans | 0.140 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monounsaturated | 2.309 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polyunsaturated | 23.665 17.830 g 5.835 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16.54 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water | 5.80 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[17] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from theNational Academies.[18] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The wide range of wild and cultivated varieties ofS. hispanica are based on seed size,shattering of seeds, and seed color.[19][20] Seed weight and color have highheritability, with a singlerecessive gene responsible for white color.[20]
Currently, no major pests or diseases affect chia production.[15]Essential oils in chia leaves have repellent properties against insects, making it suitable for organic cultivation.[13] Virus infections, however, possibly transmitted by white flies, may occur.[21] Weeds may present a problem in the early development of the chia crop until its canopy closes, but because chia is sensitive to most commonly usedherbicides, mechanical weed control is preferred.[13]
Dried chia seeds are 6% water, 42%carbohydrates, 17%protein, and 31%fat (table). In a reference amount of 100 grams (3.5 oz), chia seeds supply 486calories and are a rich source (20% or more of theDaily Value, DV) of severalB vitamins anddietary minerals (table).
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