Effect of soaking and roasting on antinutritional factors content in different genotypes of soybean and chickpea

Increasing consumer demand for healthy, sustainable diets has highlighted legumes for their nutritional richness and low environmental impact. Despite these benefits, the presence of antinutritional factors (ANFs) can limit their application in the food sector. This study comprehensively evaluated the effects of genotype, technological treatment (soaking and roasting), and their interaction on ANFs in eight soybean and four chickpea cultivars grown under the same agronomic conditions in Northwest Italy. Overall, chickpeas had a lower ANF content than soybeans, except for raffinose-family oligosaccharides. Genotype influenced the levels of saponins and lectins in both species, and slightly affected raffinose-family oligosaccharides only in soybean. Soaking reduced oligosaccharides levels (12–17 %), while roasting was more effective in decreasing lectins (85–97 %) and trypsin inhibitors (30–97 %). However, neither method reduced saponins or phytic acid, indicating their thermal stability. The results obtained by comparing widely cultivated genotypes suggest that selecting low-ANF genotypes requires further investigation for mitigation strategies. This study integrated the use of advanced analytical techniques for ANF determination and an industrial-scale, genotype-inclusive experimental design, delivering robust, novel, and real-world-relevant findings.