Effects of probiotic L. plantarum 299v on consumer quality, accumulation of phenolics, antioxidant capacity and biochemical changes in legume sprouts

This study evaluated the influence of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v on the consumer quality of legume sprouts. The probiotic‐rich sprouts were produced by soaking the seeds in probiotic water suspension and further sprouting at 25 °C for 4 days. The enrichment of the sprouts with L. plantarum 299v only slightly affected the sensory quality ‐ the overall acceptability of the probiotic‐rich sprouts was usually higher. The probiotic‐rich sprouts exhibited increased activity of polyphenol oxidase (the highest activity in the mung bean preparations ‐ 73.97 U mg−1 of protein). The peroxidase activity was not altered. The probiotic enrichment increased the phenolic content by 25%, 31% and 23% in the soybean, adzuki and mung bean preparations; however, it was not reflected in the antioxidant activities. The changes in the activity of enzymes involved in mobilisation of stored material (starch and proteins) and the increased content of phenolics only slightly modified the bioavailability of nutrients. 1 Influence of L. plantarum on the consumer quality of legume sprouts was studied, 2 The probiotic‐rich sprouts had a higher overall acceptability than the control, 3 Probiotic increased the relative starch digestibility in lentil and soybean sample, 4 Addition of probiotic usually resulted in a significant increase in PPO activity, 5 Co‐culture diversified phenolics composition between control and improved sprouts.