The Impact of Germination on the Nutritional Value and Contents of Functional Components of Quinoa
ZHENG Wenqi
HONG Huichen
WANG Di
MEI Junxia
LI Chen
LIN Lijun
LU Lixia
XIONG Xiaohui
Abstract：Germination is a green processing method that can enhance the nutritional value and functional components of grains.This study used white quinoa as the raw material for germination.Samples were taken after 0～32 h of germination,and their nutritional composition,starch digestibility,functional components,and anti-nutritional factors were determined.Compared with the ungerminated quinoa,the starch content of the germinated quinoa was significantly reduced(P<0.05,from 61.89%to 47.84%after 32 h).The contents of protein and free amino nitrogen initially decreased but then increased after 16 h of germination.The total content of free essential amino acids significantly increased(up to 22.53 mg/100 g pro;P<0.05),with the lysine content being the highest among all the free EAAs.During the germination process,there were insignificant differences in rapidly digestible starch(RDS),slowly digestible starch(SDS),and resistant starch(RS)(P>0.05),but the glycemic load(GL)was significantly reduced(P<0.05),indicating it as a medium GL food.The contents of functional components,γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA)and total polyphenols,increased by 48.10%and 41.81%,respectively after 32 h of germination,whilst the content of the anti-nutritional factor phytic acid was significantly reduced by 49.50%.In summary,germinating quinoa for 24～32 hours is conducive to the accumulation of nutrients in quinoa.Germination not only improves the nutritional value of quinoa but also increases its functional components,providing a reference for the development and utilization of quinoa as a healthy food.
Keywords：quinoagerminationnutrient compositionessential amino acidsglycemic loadfunctional components
Publication Date：2026-01-20
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-31(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 255-263 )