Chia Seed Defatting and Mucilage Extraction

Chia seeds were defatted in a hydraulic press (MECAMAQ Model DEVF 80, Vila-Sana, Lleida, Spain) as described by Muñoz-Tebar et al. [31 (link)]. Chia mucilage (CM) was extracted from defatted seeds following the procedure described by Muñoz-Tebar et al. [12 (link)]. Briefly, 10 g of defatted chia seeds were extracted with distilled water (pH previously adjusted to 8 with 0.1 M NaOH) at a ratio 1:40 (flour: water) during 2 h at 80 ± 2 °C under constant stirring. The solution was then centrifuged (Beckman Ultracentrifuge, Pasadena, CA, USA) at 10,000 rpm for 30 min at 20 °C, filtered through a gauze, spread on a tray and dried at 50 °C overnight. Finally, the dried mucilage was recovered and stored in a desiccator until use.