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Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Seed Germination: a Brief Review

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Abstract

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is a seed native to northern Mexico and southern Guatemala that has started to be consumed in recent years in other regions of the world owing to its nutritional and functional properties. Germination of chia seeds seems to be able to further improve these properties, and it has been the subject of some studies. In general, germination has proven to be a simple and inexpensive process capable of improving the content of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity of foods, as well as reducing antinutritional factors that interfere with nutrient absorption. A particular characteristic of chia seeds is that they produce mucilage when they are hydrated. For this reason, the germination conditions of the seed need to be adapted. The nutritional guidelines of some countries, such as Brazil, Germany and Sweden, recommend that the diet of the population should be more plant-based, thus encouraging the consumption of foods with a high content of bioactive compounds and nutrients, e.g., germinated seeds. This review briefly explored the germination conditions of chia seeds as well as the changes in phytonutrient content and antinutritional factors after their germination process. The main information available in the literature is that germination of chia seeds can increase the contents of protein, fiber, and total phenolic compounds. As a conclusion, germination of chia seeds is favorable for increasing their health benefits and nutritional value. However, chia germination parameters should be adjusted and microbiological risks should be properly evaluated.

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Funding

This study was financed in part by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES)- Finance code 001 and had the support of the Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) (process numbers E- 26/210.064/2021).

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  1. Institute of Nutrition, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, 12° andar, sala 12006 D – Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 20550-013, Brazil

    Vanessa dos Santos Chiappetta Nogueira Salgado, Lilia Zago & Roberta Fontanive Miyahira

  2. School of Applied Sciences, State University of Campinas, Limeira, SP, Brazil

    Adriane Elisabete Costa Antunes

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  1. Vanessa dos Santos Chiappetta Nogueira Salgado
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  2. Lilia Zago
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R.M. had the idea for the article. V.S. performed the literature search and data analysis. R.M., L.Z., V.S. and A.A. wrote the main manuscript text. V.S. prepared Table 2 and Fig. 1. R.M. prepared Tables 1 and 3. All authors drafted and/or critically revised the work.

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Correspondence to Roberta Fontanive Miyahira.

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Salgado, V.d.S.C.N., Zago, L., Antunes, A.E.C. et al. Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Seed Germination: a Brief Review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 77, 485–494 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-022-01011-z

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