ABSTRACT
Sprouts are produced from seeds during sprouting. They have been used for food before recorded history and are a traditional component of the oriental diet. Sprouts also have a long history of medicinal and nutritional application. Sprouting of soybeans and mung beans was developed by the Chinese centuries ago. It has been documented that the ancient Chinese physicians recognized and prescribed sprouts for curing some disorders more than 5000 years ago. In the past three decades, sprouts and sprouting have been a concern in the “Western world.” Nowadays, sprouts are considered a natural healthy food (Fett 2006). In the United States, interest in sprouts began during the World War II when a Cornell nutrition professor, Clive McCay, published an article highlighting the unique benets of soybean sprouts: “Wanted! A vegetable that will grow in any climate, will rival meat in nutritive value, will mature in 3-5 days, may be planted any day of the year, will require neither soil nor sunshine, will rival tomatoes in Vitamin C, will be free of waste in preparation.”
