Editing Sprouting (section)

===Anti-nutritional factors===
Some legumes, including sprouts, can contain [[toxin]]s or [[antinutritional factor|anti-nutritional factor]]s, which can be reduced by soaking, sprouting and cooking. Joy Larkcom advises that to be on the safe side "one shouldn’t eat large quantities of raw [[legume]] sprouts on a regular basis, no more than about 550g (20oz) daily".<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkcom|first=Joy|others=Illustrated by Elizabeth Douglas|title=Salads for small gardens|date=1995|publisher=Hamlyn|location=[London]|isbn=978-0-600-58509-1|edition=2nd}}</ref>

[[Phytic acid]], an anti-nutritional factor, occurs primarily in the seed coats and germ tissue of plant seeds. It forms insoluble or nearly insoluble compounds with many metal ions, including those of calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc, reducing their dietary availability. Diets high in phytic acid and poor in these minerals produce mineral deficiency in experimental animals (Gontzea and Sutzescu, 1968,<ref>{{cite book|title=Natural Antinutritive Substances in Foodstuffs and Forages|date=28 August 1968|publisher=S. Karger; 1 edition (August 28, 1968)|isbn=978-3805508568|pages=184|edition=1}}</ref> as cited in Chavan and Kadam, 1989).<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The latter authors state that the sprouting of cereals has been reported to decrease levels of phytic acid. Similarly, Shipard (2005)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Shipard|first1=Isabell|title=How can I grow and use sprouts as living food?|date=2005|publisher=David Stewart|location=[Nambour, Qld.?]|isbn=978-0975825204}}</ref> states that enzymes of germination and sprouting can help decrease the detrimental substances such as phytic acid. However, the amount of phytic acid reduction from soaking is only marginal, and not enough to fully counteract its anti-nutrient effects.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Egli|first1=I.|last2=Davidsson|first2=L.|last3=Juillerat|first3=M.A.|last4=Barclay|first4=D.|last5=Hurrell|first5=R.F.|title=The Influence of Soaking and Germination on the Phytase Activity and Phytic Acid Content of Grains and Seeds Potentially Useful for Complementary Feedin|journal=Journal of Food Science|date=November 2002|volume=67|issue=9|pages=3484–3488|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2621.2002.tb09609.x}}</ref>