Abstract
Germination can be considered an important process for modifying quinoa seeds' nutritional and bioactive compounds. Understanding how germination modifies seed composition is essential to optimize their use in different food preparations and to meet the current trend for a healthy and balanced diet. The present study focuses on the effect of prolonged germination on the composition of quinoa seeds collected from a farm in the eastern Morocco. Seeds were germinated in a growth chamber with a controlled environment for different times (24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h). At the end of each germination period, the seeds were dried and powdered, and their composition was analyzed. Powder obtained from ungerminated seeds was used as control. The results showed that germination led to a significant enhancement in the content of protein, fiber, total phenolics, and total flavonoids, with the highest increases observed at 96 h by 6.09 g/100 g dry matter (DM), 0.89 g/100 g DM, 50.27 mg/100 g DM, and 73.49 mg/100 g DM, respectively, compared to the control. Tocopherols (α, β, and δ) increased by 1.63, 1.21, and 2.67 μg/g of oil at 24 h, 72 h, and 120 h, respectively, compared to the control. Conversely, carbohydrate, energy, and saponin content decreased significantly relative to the control by 9.43–10.11 g/100 g DM (seeds sprouted for 72–96 h), 20.35 kcal/100 g DM (seeds sprouted for 72 h), and 0.58 g/100 g DM (seeds sprouted for 48 h and 72 h). This suggests that powder from germinated C. quinoa seeds subjected to prolonged germination (96 h) could be used as functional ingredients in food formulations, offering high levels of macronutrients, minerals, and bioactive compounds with a reduced saponin content.