>Tom:
>>The named (raw) seeds do contain a number of anti-nutritive factors, which
>>include enzyme inhibitors such as trypsin inhibitor. However, the levels of
>>these anti-nutritive factors (with a few exceptions)  decrease sharply when
>>seeds are soaked and sprouted. Whether the small amount that remains after
>>sprouting is of concern, is the point people disagree on.  One anti-nutritive
>>factor that actually increases is saponin in alfalfa, which peaks at 7-8
>>days,the time when most people eat them.

Jean-Louis Tu <[log in to unmask]>:
>Would you happen to know if it is the process of soaking or of sprouting
>that does the major part of the job? Same question for phytic acid.

Tom:
>From the article cited in my post (Peary & Peavy, "Vegetarian Journal",
July/August 1995:

"The commonly alleged anti-nutrients are protease inhibitors, amylase
inhibitors, phytic acid...With proper soaking and germination, none of these
is anything to worry about...

[as a result of soaking/sprouting]...the anti-nutritional factors such as enzyme
inhibitors and other anti-nutrients are greatly reduced to insignificant levels
or to nothing.

Soaking alone causes a significant decrease in anti-nutrients, as the anti-
nutrients are leached into the soak water...Soaking for 24 hours at room
temperature removed 66% of the trypsin (protease) inhibitor activity in mung
beans, 93% in lentil, 59% in chickpea, and 100% in broad bean...

Normal cooking removes most or all of the anti-nutrients."

I have seen some technical papers on sprouts, and would say that if you
are concerned about specific inhibitors in specific types of seeds (whether
legumes, grains, nuts, or other seeds), the only way to get a detailed
answer is to find the research paper(s) that provide test data on the
seed(s) of interest. The generalization above by Peary and Peavy indicates
that soaking removes a substantial amount of many anti-nutritive factors.

Regards,
Tom Billings
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