1: CHIA PET PROJECTS

MATTHEW ENIS

America is probably most familiar with the chia plant through kitschy late night television ads featuring inexpensive terra cotta pottery. But, if a handful of food manufacturers succeed with product launches in late 2006 and early 2007, there may be a functional future ahead for this onetime dietary staple of Native Americans and Aztecs.

Chia seeds can infuse foods with a high dose of omega-3 fatty acids, while significantly boosting a product's fiber, calcium and antioxidant content. And unlike flax or hemp, which add similar functionality to foods, the seeds are almost flavorless, making them more versatile as an additive.

From their offices in Canada, the United States, Argentina and Peru, the Salba Group has invested more than 10 years of research and development into the grain's potential as a crop and functional ingredient. A decade of selective breeding has produced a nutritionally enhanced, non-GMO strain of the plant with lightly colored seeds, and five years of research has earned the group a medical patent, allowing food producers to make consistent content and nutrition claims.

“There have certainly been promising results to our studies so far,” said Dr. Vladimir Vuksan, assistant director of clinical nutrition at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital and associate professor at the University of Toronto. According to Vuksan's research, the salba strain of chia was found to lower blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and can lower the glycemic index of carbohydrate-rich foods, such as breads, by slowing the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream.

A handful of start-ups are now in the early stages of rolling out licensed products that will test the appeal of Certified Salba stamps.

Denver-based Salba Smart, for example, will offer a line of organic tortillas, salsas, crackers, cheese puffs, pretzels and tortilla chips featuring prominent omega-3 claims. Ontario-based QFC Inc. will be working with Protenergy Foods to develop Salba Ole, a line of beverages initially featuring enhanced orange, mixed berry and dairy alternative drinks. And Naples, Fla.-based supplement maker Core Naturals will be rolling out salba-based immune shield and heart defense supplements, energy bars, and flavorless powders and oils that can be mixed into foods or beverages. Similar products will be distributed in Canada by Toronto-based Source Salba.

“It's an extremely nutritious seed — 3,000 milligrams of omega-3s per serving and 5,000 milligrams of dietary fiber,” noted Mitch Propster, president of Core Naturals. “There's a number of health benefits: healthy heart, insulin support for diabetics, gluten-free. It offers a cleaner application [for product manufacturers] since the seeds are all white, and also it's a neutral flavor, unlike fish oil.”