Effects of chia seed extract on chemical and sensory properties of sweet cream butter during refrigerated storage

[1]Introduction: Butter is a type of dairy product made of sweet cream or sour cream. It is a perishable food that can be spoiled due to chemical changes during storage. Rancidity is one of the main problems caused by lipolysis and oxidation of fatty acids, which cause off-flavor and reduce the nutritional quality of butter. By adding low concentrations of antioxidant compounds, autooxidation can be prevented or delayed. It is also possible to increase the shelf life of butter by adding antioxidants. However, the carcinogenic effect of some synthetic antioxidants and consumer preference has led manufacturers to use more natural antioxidants. Chia seeds contain significant amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. Moreover, many bioactive compounds with high antioxidant potential are found in chia seeds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, tocopherols, and sterols. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of chia seed extract in sweet cream butter to improve its chemical and sensory properties during refrigeration storage. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, the alcoholic extract of chia seed was prepared by adding chia seed powder to 70% ethanol (5% w/v) with stirring for 24 h, at room temperature. The filtered extracts were concentrated with a rotary evaporator. The concentrated mixture was dried in an oven at 40 °C and kept in an amber glass container in the refrigerator at 4 °C until the experiment was performed. Total phenolics content and antioxidant activity of chia seed extract were evaluated by the Folin–Ciocalteu colorimetric method using gallic acid as standard and for free radical scavenging ability by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl) method, respectively. Then, chia seed extract was added to butter with different percentages (0.05, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5%) and its effects on chemical properties including acidity, acid value, peroxide value, and thiobarbituric acid were evaluated for two months at 15-day intervals in refrigerated storage. Also, sensory properties including color, odor, taste, texture, and overall acceptance of butter samples were assessed using 15 untrained evaluators based on a 5-point hedonic test as above conditions. The results were reported as means± standard deviation and they were analyzed with analysis of variance using the software SPSS version 14. Statistical differences were analyzed by Duncan’s multiple range test (p