Germination can be used to enhance nutritional value and health functions of edible seeds. Sprouts are considered healthier than non-germinated seeds because they are richer in the basic nutritional components (protein, amino acid, carbohydrates, and minerals) and also contain more bioactive components. The present study is the first to dynamically analyze the germination properties regarding morphological characteristics, nutrient compounds, bioactive components and antioxidant activities of Firmiana platanifolia (F. platanifolia) seeds. The results showed that the appearance, color and morphology of F. platanifolia seeds and sprouts at different germination times showed considerable differences. With the increasing germination time, the moisture content, sucrose, fructose, total flavonoid content and DPPH significantly increased, and reached the peak at 8 d of germination, almost 2.38, 5.76, 4.02, 7.97 and 8.91 times higher than those of at 0 d, respectively. The soluble protein, total phenolic, ABTS and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) increased first and then decreased as the germination time increased, and were overall higher than those of at the initial concentration. However, total starch content and mineral elements decreased as germination progressed. Additionally, the total flavonoid content showed a strongly positive correlation with DPPH (p

29.1.2024