Properties of mucilage blends using psyllium husk (Plantago psyllium L) and chia seed (Salvia hispanica L)

Abstract

The food industries face a constant challenge to use fewer and fewer ingredients in food composition and to increase the sustainability and nutritional value of these ingredients. The interaction and efficiency of gels can be enhanced by using polysaccharide mixtures. As an alternative for using gels as thickeners and stabilizers, this study used mucilage mixtures of psyllium (P) and chia (C) obtained by blending or combined extraction to investigate the interaction properties of these potential polysaccharide ingredients. After the extraction of psyllium husk and chia seed, separately, and a third extraction combining the two sources simultaneously, six samples were prepared with the following percentages: 100% P, 75-25% P-C, 50%-50% P-C, 25%-75% P-C and 100% C, named T1 to T5. The combined mucilage extraction was called T6. Factors such as pH, oBrix, and oil-holding capacity revealed no significant difference between the samples; higher carbohydrates values were indicated for the content of chia seed (13.14 g/L). Water solubility ranged from 7 to 51.25% without the occurrence of an interaction effect. The thermal effects were similar to natural hydrogels and the chia mucilage revealed less weight loss during the major breakdown stage of decomposition. The corroboration of the interaction property occurred through the viscosity factor. The viscosity of the combined sample (T6) had higher values than the other samples and the attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectra indicated more molecule conformation similarities with the psyllium than chia.

Keywords

• gels
• hydrocolloid
• stabilizer
• thermal analyses (tga/dsc)
• thickener