Steeping and Germination as Technological Strategies to Enhance the Biofunctional Properties of Huauzontle ( Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae ) Seeds for Metabolic Health Applications

Despite its phylogenetic relationship to quinoa, one of the most extensively studied pseudocereals worldwide, huauzontle ( Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae ) remains overlooked in terms of its nutritional composition and functional properties. This study demonstrated that cost‐effective, scalable processing strategies for huauzontle seeds significantly enhance the biological activity of protein hydrolyzates derived from them. Protein fractions obtained from raw (H1), soaked (H2), and germinated (H3) seeds were extracted by alkaline solubilization and subsequently hydrolyzed with Alcalase®. SDS–PAGE revealed that soaking and germination increased endogenous proteolytic activity in seeds and improved the effectiveness of Alcalase‐mediated enzymatic hydrolysis. In particular, germination deeply impacted the biological activity of H3 hydrolyzates, with higher scavenging capacities against DPPH (26.9%) and ABTS (93.1%) radicals and modulating ROS production in FHC and Caco‐2 cells. These redox‐modulating activities of H3 hydrolyzates were accompanied by a pronounced inhibition of lipid accumulation (60.07%) at 0.5 mg/mL. Likewise, H3 hydrolyzates (0.125 mg/mL) reduced nitric oxide production by 64.01% in RAW‐246.7 cells. These findings identify germination as a low‐cost strategy to unlock the functional potential of huauzontle proteins, positioning this neglected crop as a promising source of multifunctional bioactive peptides relevant to metabolic health and diversifying the pseudocereal portfolio with nutritional relevance.