Abstract: During the germination process of chickpeas at 22 ℃ for 1－6 days, the changes in the contents of starch, soluble sugars, proteins, amino acids and antinutritional factors including total phenolic compounds and phytic acid were determined. Our results showed that during the germination process, the content of starch revealed a decreasing trend from the initial 42.60% to 30.45% on the 6th day. The content of soluble sugars decreased quickly from the initial 11.56% to 6.06% on the 2nd day, and then increased slowly to 7.80% on the 6th day. The content of protein increased from the initial 20.92% to 25.71% on the 6th day. Aspartic acid, glutamic acid and arginine were found to be the major amino acids in chickpeas with a low content of sulfur-containing amino acids such as methionine and cystine. During the germination process, the contents of aspartic acid, phenylalanine and tyrosine exhibited a significant increase, while methionine and cystine decreased remarkably. The content of total phenolics decreased from the initial 0.78‰ to 0.55‰ on the 6th day, and the content of phytic acid declined from the initial 1.29% to 0.67% on the 6th day. In conclusion, the germination of chickpea can result in a remarkable change of nutritional composition, and an obvious decrease of total phenolics and phytic acid, promoting the bioavailability of chickpeas.

Key words: chickpea, germination, starch, protein, amino acid, total phenolics, phytic acid