The Impact of Soaking and Germination on Chemical Composition, Carbohydrate Fractions, Digestibility, Antinutritional Factors and Minerals Content of Some Legumes and Cereals Grain Seeds

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Food Sciences and Technology Department,

2 Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, Faculty of Home Economics, Al Azhar University, Nawag, Tanta, Gharbia, Egypt.

Abstract

Germination of legumes and cereals seed causes some important changes in the biochemical and a nutritional characteristic of the legumes that may be beneficial to human’s health and nutritional status. This study evaluated the effects of soaking for 6 and 12 hr and germination for 2 and 4 days with or without light on the chemical composition, carbohydrate fractions (starch, total sugars, reducing sugars and total carbohydrates), in vitro starch and protein digestibility, antinutritional factors,  minerals content (macro and micro elements, ppm) of some legume (peas, lentils, chickpea and faba bean) and cereal grains (oats and wheat). The proximate composition in studied seeds was affected by soaking and germination. In germinated samples, moisture and protein and total dietary fiber contents increased while carbohydrate, and fat were decreased. Germination caused increase in vitro starch and protein digestibility contents of all the legume and cereal samples.  Phytic acid and trypsin inhibitors contents were decreased in germinated legumes and cereals. The decreased in phytic acid and trypsin inhibitors contents were due to enzymatic changes during soaking and germination period in seeds. The presence or absence of light during the germination process did` not affect the results achieved.  It can be concluded that soaking and sprouting improved the nutritional worth of the selected legumes and cereals in terms of higher concentration of nutrients, reduced phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors and improved protein content and ascorbic acid. Germinated legumes and cereals can be incorporated with wheat-based food product such as bread or pasta to improve nutrition content.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics