Omega-3s have anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant properties and are important for health,
particularly brain and eye development and heart health. Unfortunately, most people don’t consume
adequate amounts of omega-3s, especially EPA and DHA which are most strongly linked to these
health benefits.
Milk and milk products have traditionally been a major component of human diets, but are also
among some of the poorest sources of n-3 PUFA. Consideration of the high consumption of milk
and its processed products worldwide and the human health benefits has led to a large number of
studies targeting the enhancement of n-3 PUFA content in dairy products.
Increasing the omega-3 content of milk preharvest is challenging and has limitations. It can be
increased by adding omega-3s to milk, yogurt, cheese or butter postharvest (during processing) by
incorporating fish oil (DHA and EPA), algae (DHA), seed oils such as chia oil, milled flax (ALA), or
soybean oil (SDA).
Fortifying dairy foods with appreciable amounts of omega-3s is challenging on many levels. Omega3s are prone to oxidation, which may cause off-flavors and odors, and consumers may be averse to
dairy products spiked with substances from the sea.
Our laboratory tests show chia seed oil might be used as an additive to dairy food. The nutritional
quality of yogurt, milk, milk powder, ice creme and cheese enriched with chia oil was shown to have
been improved due to a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (mainly by linoleic and α-linolenic
acid) and phytosterols. Moreover, storage period, the physical and sensory properties of enriched
dairy foods were not changed significantly compared to natural dairy and the amount of total LAB
was not reduced in the analyzed yogurts, which proved the high stability of the enriched products.
These results indicate that chia seed oil can be used by the food industry to enrich dairy foods. The
results of our studies may open new opportunities for the design of dairy products containing large
amounts of phytosterols, which decrease cholesterol levels in human blood and lower the risk of
cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, consumption of this kind of enriched dairy may protect people
from neurodegenerative diseases due to its high concentration of ω-3 fatty acids.