Company: Benexia

Website: www.benexia.com

Ingredient Snapshot: If the smartest minds in the U.S. baking industry were to design a new ‘dream’ ingredient that would be on trend, cost effective and help resolve functional issues, it would look a lot like Benexia’s Xia Powder-435 LM. 

This 100 percent natural flour/powder is plant-based, gluten-free, non-allergenic, non-GMO, dairy-free, vegan and provides greater nutrition with fewer calories. Xia Powder-435 LM replaces fillers and binders, facilitating a clean label, while its physical properties improve performance. Plus it has a very low environmental footprint impact. 

Developed by Benexia, a leading chia seed ingredients producer, Xia Powder-435 LM (also labeled as chia flour, chia fiber or defatted milled chia) is ideal for all types of baking products from soft bread and flatbread to cakes, muffins and cookies. 

It is made by cold pressing the oil of the chia seed and concentrating its fibers. This process does not include additives, processing aid ingredients, solvents or enzymes. The result is a powder that is 100 percent pure chia, in standardized and homogeneous particle size. The work is done in a controlled temperature environment to protect and preserve the raw material’s nutritional value.

The benefits to this attention to detail are extensive and include:   

• Minimized process losses. Xia Powder-435 LM is applied directly to the dough. 
• Clean label and cost efficiencies. Because of its stability, binders and fillers such as xanthan gum and cellulose, can be removed. Fewer ingredients are needed to achieve the desired results.
• Light, neutral flavor, improved whole-grain appearance and pleasing texture. 
• Extended shelf life due to higher antioxidant capacity when compared with traditional whole grain bread. This antioxidant capacity is retained even after baking.  
• It is 100 percent gluten-free. 

Xia Powder-435 LM contains the trifecta of superfood nutrition: It is high in omega-3 (more than 5 percent ALA omega-3), fiber and plant-based protein. It is also rich in the minerals potassium, phosphorus and calcium found naturally in chia. 

And it is low where it matters most: low in sugar and sodium, low in saturated fat, very low in TFA, and free from cholesterol due to its vegetal source. Because it has less than 1% carbs, due to the manufacturing that protects the fibers from damage, Xia Powder-435 LM is ideal for replacing up to 10 percent of the refined carbohydrates in bakery formulations. It is also very low on the GI index and helps to reduce the GI value in baked products. 

Americans have a dietary fiber deficit. A bread made with Xia Powder-435 LM would have 3.3-6.7 g of fiber (a combination of 10 percent soluble and 90 percent insoluble) per serving. Compare this with 2.7 g of fiber in soft white bread or 6 g of fiber in a typical whole wheat bread. 

Because Xia Powder-435 LM was created specifically for the baking industry, great taste and texture were essential. Products made with this chia flour have the benefit of a stable fiber network as well as high oil and water retention capacity. Numerous studies have determined that chia contains 5% mucilage, absorbing 9 times its weight in water and containing a functional group similar to xanthan gum.  

These characteristics translate into softer, less breakable dough, reduced crumbling and crackling on the shelf, excellent crumb characteristics, complementing its appealing “whole grain” appearance. The ingredient’s incredible stability translates to increased shelf life without the need for as many preservatives as some other grains such as hemp or flax. Freezing and toasting quality are also improved.  

Benexia has been a worldwide leader in chia production since 2000. The fully integrated company adheres to responsible agricultural practices, and natural chemical-free processing with guaranteed zero waste.  

To learn more about formulating with Benexia Xia Powder-435 LM, visit www.benexia.com.