What is it about?
This study explores how germinating chickpeas under different light conditions and times can naturally improve their nutritional and functional value. Germination activates enzymes and increases healthy plant compounds, especially phenolics like gallic acid and catechin, which are linked to antioxidant activity. By adjusting simple factors such as light exposure and germination time, it is possible to make chickpeas a richer source of beneficial compounds for use in healthier and more functional foods.
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Why is it important?
Chickpeas are widely consumed and already valued for their nutrition, but their full potential is not always used. Simple, low-cost processes like germination can naturally improve the levels of beneficial compounds in foods without additives or complex processing. Understanding how to control germination helps producers and researchers develop healthier, more functional plant-based foods that meet growing consumer demand for natural and nutritious products.
Perspectives
These findings open opportunities to use controlled germination as a natural tool to design healthier legume-based ingredients. Future work can explore how germinated chickpeas perform in real food products, how stable these bioactive compounds are during processing and storage, and how germination can be scaled for industry. This approach supports the development of more sustainable, plant-based, and functional foods aligned with current nutrition and consumer trends.
Dr Ruann de Castro
Unicamp
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: How germination conditions modulate the enzymatic activities, antioxidant potential and phenolic profile of chickpeas, Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, February 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.bcab.2026.103946.
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