Sprouting

Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other structures experience further growth.

Quinoa in its natural state is very easy to sprout, but when polished, or pre-cleaned of its saponin coating (becoming whiter), it loses its power to germinate.

Several countries, such as New Zealand, require that some varieties of imported edible seed be heat-treated, thus making it impossible for them to sprout.

One type is a simple glass jar with a piece of cloth or nylon window screen secured over its rim.

Tiered clear-plastic sprouters are commercially available, allowing a number of crops to be grown simultaneously.

The photo below on the right shows crimson clover sprouts grown on 3 mm (1⁄8 in) urethane foam mats.

Sprouts are rinsed two to four times a day, depending on the climate and the type of seed, to provide them with moisture and prevent them from souring.

A downside to consuming raw sprouts is that the process of germinating seeds can also be conducive to harmful bacterial growth.

Sprouts are rich in digestible energy, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, and phytochemicals, as these are necessary for a germinating plant to grow.

"[10] "In sprouted barley, crude fiber, a major constituent of cell walls, increases both in percentage and real terms, with the synthesis of structural carbohydrates, such as cellulose and hemicellulose.

[11] Commercially grown sprouts have been associated with multiple outbreaks of harmful bacteria, including salmonella and toxic forms of Escherichia coli.

[13] Such infections, which are so frequent in the United States that investigators call them "sproutbreaks",[13] may be a result of contaminated seeds or of unhygienic production with high microbial counts.

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".

Similarly, Shipard (2005)[26] 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.

[28] In order to prevent incidents like the 2011 EHEC epidemic, on 11 March 2013, the European Commission issued three new, tighter regulations.

Mixed bean sprouts (shoots)
Melon seeds sprouting
Buckwheat sprouts
Soybean sprout next to a smaller mung bean sprout
Sprouts sold as snacks during Kumbh Mela festival
Two women sat at a low table sorting bean sprouts. A large bowl of sprouts is by their side. A child in the background is playfighting, amusing one of the women.
Women trimming bean sprouts in the street photographic slide by Joy Larkhom 1985
Sprouting mung beans in a glass sprouter jar with a green plastic sieve -lid
Crimson clover sprouts grown on 3 mm ( 1 ⁄ 8 in) urethane foam mats with a pulse drip technique. Four micro-sprinklers cycle pulsing continuously over a 7-day period, each putting out about 2 L ( 1 ⁄ 2 US gal) per hour. The four micro-sprinklers were each fitted with an LPD [ 5 ] to keep the lines fully charged between pulses.
Sprouts growing in a verrine
Mung bean sprouts in a bowl, grown without light to maintain its pale colour and reduce bitterness.
FDA health warning on a sprouts package