Weiliang Shen , Dan Luo , Xinhua Zhou

Tropical Legume Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Legume Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 5   
Received: 26 Aug., 2025    Accepted: 09 Oct., 2025    Published: 28 Oct., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Edible legumes are rich in protein, dietary fiber, minerals and various functional active components, and are an important part of the global dietary structure. However, while these beans are providing nutritional value, they also contain a variety of anti-nutritional factors, such as phytic acid, oxalic acid, tannin, saponin, protease inhibitor and lectin, which may affect the absorption and utilization of key nutrients by the human body. This study systematically reviewed the types of common anti-nutritional factors in edible legumes, their physiological mechanisms of action, and the distribution patterns of their contents in different legumes (such as soybeans, mung beans, peas, red adzuki beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas), analyzed their interactions with nutritional components, and explored their possible positive physiological functions. The research progress of traditional and modern detoxification treatment technologies (such as fermentation, enzyme treatment, genetic modification, etc.) was also reviewed, and the practical experiences of different countries and regions in the control of anti-nutritional factors were discussed. Through in-depth comparisons of the composition, functional effects and treatment strategies of anti-nutritional factors, this study aims to provide scientific basis and technical references for the nutritional optimization, variety breeding and functional product development of edible legumes, and promote the sustainable utilization and value enhancement of legumes in the fields of food and health.

Edible beans; Anti-nutritional factors; Nutritional interaction; Processing technology; Comparative analysis