Phytochemical Fingerprint of Chia Sprouts Grown Under Chemical Elicitation with Salicylic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide

Chia seeds (CS) and sprouts are rich sources of phenolic compounds and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). We hypothesized that the application of chemical stressors, such as salicylic acid (SA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), would induce changes in the polyphenol and fatty acid profile of chia sprouts, leading to an increase in their nutraceutical potential. This study aimed to assess the effect of non-elicited (NE) and chemically elicited (CE with 1-mM SA and 20-mM H 2 O 2 ) sprouting on the polyphenol and fatty acid (FA) profiles of chia through high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemometric analyses. NE and CE chia sprouts showed increased content and diversity of polyphenols compared to the CS but with lower content of FA. Interestingly, rosmarinic acid was the major polyphenol identified in CS and was increased about 4-fold in all chia sprouts, whereas the major PUFA of CS, α-linolenic acid, was reduced by 39%. Regarding the chemical elicitation, the multivariate analyses indicated that SA-elicited chia sprouts were characterized by their high content of most polyphenols, mainly flavones and isoflavones, as well as a high antioxidant capacity, whereas H 2 O 2 -elicited chia sprouts were differentiated by protects their PUFA composition and seedling growth parameters. These results demonstrate that the chemical elicitation with SA and H 2 O 2 represents a promising approach for improving sprouts’ nutraceutical quality and could be used in further research to develop strategies for agriculture and food production.