Nutritional and Functional Attributes of Legumes: A Review of Processing Methods and Their Impacts.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of food science literature without systematic search methodology or primary clinical data.
PubMed 42494153 · doi:10.1111/1750-3841.71318
What was done
This narrative review synthesized the effects of traditional and industrial legume processing methods—including grinding, soaking, germination, fermentation, thermal processing, agglomeration, and protein isolation—on antinutritional factors (such as phytates, tannins, lectins, and trypsin inhibitors), nutrient profiles, and functional food attributes.
What was found
Specific processing methods showed distinct quantitative and directional impacts: - Fermentation reduced phytates, tannins, and saponins by more than 60% while facilitating bioactive peptide production. - Soaking increased soluble dietary fiber by up to 33%, accompanied by leaching of minerals and phenolics into water. - Germination improved protein digestibility and micronutrient bioavailability. - Thermal treatments deactivated heat-sensitive antinutritional factors but lowered antioxidant capacity by 50% to 95%, depending on the legume type and processing parameters.
Why it matters
Because legumes contribute 20% to 25% of global dietary protein, optimizing processing strategies enables food developers to maximize nutrient retention and bioavailability while minimizing antinutritional compounds.
Limits
The abstract describes a non-systematic narrative review without specified study counts, quantitative pooling, or quality scoring. The reported values reflect broad ranges across heterogeneous legume types and laboratory conditions rather than human in vivo clinical outcomes.
Cited by
- supports Anti-nutrients bind to dietary vitamins and minerals in the digestive tract and inhibit their absorption.