EFFECTS OF GERMINATION ON COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE-VALUE OF SOYBEAN SEEDS IN RAT

The nutritive value of different soybean meals and the biological effects of their ingestion were studied in rats. Soybean meal (GO), heated soybean meal (GOCH), meal prepared from 1,3 or 5-day germinated seeds (G1, G2, G5) and heated G5 meal (G5CH) were compared to casein. The duration of soybean germination influenced the food intake and the biological characteristics in rats. The goitrogenous substances induced by germination are thermolabile. The lecithin content of soybean seeds increased during seedling growth. Phytic acid, available lysine and lipase inhibitor activity decreased in germinated seeds. The ingestion of G5 meal caused a low food intake and a thyroid hypertrophy in rats but it had no effect on the liver weight of rats; it resulted in a low PER. The steam treatment (100-degrees-C, 20 min) induced a significant increase of the food intake, of the final weight of rats and a slight decrease in the liver weight of rats fed GO or G5 diet.