Increasing the variety of better-tasting and healthier gluten-free products is important for consumers with gluten-related disorders. This work aimed to develop a gluten-free bread formulation containing whole chia flour with acceptable sensory properties. A mixture design for three ingredients and response surface methodology were used to identify the proportions of potato starch, rice flour and whole chia flour to achieve the best physical properties and result in sensory-accepted products. The physical properties and visual appearance showed that whole chia flour alone is not suitable for bread production. Nevertheless, it is possible to add up to 14% whole chia flour to a rice flour-based gluten-free bread formulation while negligibly diminishing the loaf volume, crumb firmness and crumb moisture. The best formulations were prepared from rice flour blends with 5, 10, and 14% whole chia flour, which received overall acceptability scores of 8.7, 8.1 and 7.9 on a 10-cm scale, respectively, similar to those of their white gluten-free bread and wheat bread counterparts. Incorporating 5%-14% whole chia flour in the formulation increased the levels of ash, lipid, protein and dietary fiber compared to those of the white gluten-free bread.
Keywords: Chia seed; Mixture design; Physicochemical properties; Sensory analysis.