Soybean Sprouts: A Review of Nutrient Composition, Health Benefits and Genetic Variation

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] sprouts are highly digestible and a year around vegetable suitable for human consumption. Sprouting process causes a number of biochemical changes inside the seed, resulting in the accumulation of various primary and secondary metabolites. Due to such changes, sprouts contain high levels of health-promoting phytochemicals as compared to other vegetables. Sprouts are an excellent source of protein, amino acids, and vitamins, which provide numerous health benefits. Due to such advantages, soybean sprouts have been preferred as a part of daily diets in Korea and quality soybean sprouts are in high demand in the edible food market. To produce high quality soybean sprouts, several factors, including the choice of the variety, health benefits from sprout phytonutrients and inherent genetic variation for the sprout-related traits of the variety need to be considered. In this review, we have summarized literature on soybean sprout components, the health benefits, changes in nutritional factors during the sprouting process and the genetic variation among the cultivars developed for sprout usage. We have also reviewed procedures and factors like seed characteristics, temperature, chemical applications that influence the sprouting process. The information collectively presented here will be useful for understanding the progress of soybean cultivars developed for soybean sprout development and use.