Chia

Chia is grown commercially for its seed, a food that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, since the seeds yield 2,30% extractable oil, including -linolenic acid. Of total fat, the composition of the oil may be, and 10% saturated fat.

Typically, chia seeds are small ovals with a diameter of approximately 1 mm (0.039 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 a mucilaginous coating that gives chia-based beverages a distinctive gel texture.

Chia (or chian or chien) has mostly been identified as Salvia hispanica L. Today, chia is grown and consumed commercially in its native Mexico, as well as in Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Australia.[9] New patented varieties of chia have been developed in Kentucky for cultivation in northern latitudes of the United States.