Effect of germination on bioactive compounds of soybean (Glycine Max)

Germination is the practice of soaking, draining, and keeping seeds until they produce sprouts. The increasing interest in functional and healthy food products has promoted the use of germinated soybean flour in the manufacture of foods for human consumption. It is well known that germination induces changes in nutritional and non-nutritional compounds. Therefore, the objective of this chapter was to provide a brief overview on the changes that take place along this process on bioactive compounds such as trypsin inhibitors, saponins, phytic acid, isoflavones, oligosaccharides, and lectins from soybean (Glycine max). These compounds have been determined in our laboratory and the results are included. Authors expect this chapter to provide interesting information about the effect of germination on the bioactive compounds of soybean.