From seeds to sprouts: micronutrient profiling across edible chia forms highlights dried dark-grown seedlings as ingredients with a broad compositional profile

Chia seeds and sprouts are known for their nutritional value, but other forms remain underexplored. To evaluate micronutrient content across edible chia forms, dark-grown seedlings and sprouts were grown from seeds and compared. Light and methyl salicylate treatments were applied to biofortify sprouts. Dried dark-grown seedlings displayed the greatest micronutrient density (vitamin C [435.6 mg/100 g], together with high contents of magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, sulfur, manganese, and molybdenum) and radical scavenging activity. Seeds were rich in minerals and γ- and δ-tocopherol, whereas sprouts had the highest pro-vitamin A content [5.4 mg/100 g]. A chia-only mixture of 185 g sprouts, 130 g dark-grown seedlings, and 60 g seeds reached micronutrient reference values on a theoretical compositional basis. Biofortification produced slight light-dependent effects, with selected minerals increasing 1.3-1.6-fold. These findings position edible chia forms as complementary micronutrient sources and highlight dried dark-grown seedlings as a nutrient-dense ingredient for food applications.