Legume Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 245-252 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/lgg 249 ensure food safety but also incidentally handle heat-sensitive substances like trypsin inhibitors and lectins (Ozolina et al., 2023). However, heat treatment is not the only option. Fermentation is also very common, especially when it comes to improving taste or adding functional components. Using lactic acid bacteria for fermentation can effectively reduce the content of phytic acid, oligosaccharides and tannins, and the absorption rate of nutrients will also increase accordingly. In fact, some processes are mixed and combined, such as soaking first and then steaming, or adding a fermentation step to balance processing efficiency and the effect of anti-nutritional factor degradation as much as possible (Nikmaram et al., 2017). In industry, the pursuit is large-scale processing, so these processes are constantly optimized and combined to adapt to different product lines and nutritional requirements. 6.2 Traditional anti-nutrient reduction practices in countries like India, Nigeria, and China Some practices predate modern industry much earlier, but they are just not classified as "science". In countries with high consumption of beans such as India, Nigeria or China, people have long mastered through experience how to deal with such "somewhat obstructive" components. The common methods used in Indian households are soaking or sprouting, which are indeed effective in reducing phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Many home-cooked bean dishes are processed in this way. The fermentation process, similar to that of dosa or idli, actually simultaneously decomposes anti-nutritional factors (Anaemene and Fadupin, 2022; Venketeish et al., 2024). Nigeria, on the other hand, prefers natural fermentation methods, with wood beans and soybeans being the most commonly used. Some data even show that the reduction in phytic acid and tannin can reach over 90%, and it can also improve protein digestibility (Adeyemo and Onilude, 2013). In China, traditional methods such as soaking beans and simmering them over low heat actually follow a similar nutritional logic: they not only aim for a soft and glutinous texture but also subtly address the issue of ANF (Kong et al., 2022). 6.3 Breeding of low anti-nutrient varieties and development of functional legume products To solve problems from the source, breeding is an inevitable path. The current market products such as Kurnitz soybeans, low-phytic acid chickpeas, and zero-tannin peas are all achievements of molecular breeding technology (Miki et al., 2009). Some of them employed traditional breeding methods, while many others relied on marker-assisted breeding or gene editing techniques to directly "subtract" from the ANF synthesis pathway (Figure 2) (Jha et al., 2022). The benefits of this variety are obvious: the processing is more convenient and the bioavailability of nutrients can also be significantly improved. It is a plus for both public health and the development of functional foods. As consumers' calls for "healthier plant protein" grow louder, these low-ANF raw materials are gradually moving out of the research stage and entering true market application. 7 Conclusion and Outlook Researchers have generally noted that anti-nutritional factors (ANF) present in legumes, such as phytic acid, tannins, saponins and protease inhibitors, do indeed make some key nutrients more difficult for the human body to absorb. Especially in a diet dominated by plant-based foods, such substances may become triggers for micronutrient deficiencies, affecting health conditions. However, we cannot simply deny their significance of existence. Components like saponins and tannins have instead demonstrated antioxidant and anti-cancer potential in some studies, and plants themselves rely on these substances to defend against adverse conditions or pests. The current issue is not whether to "eliminate" them or not, but rather how to minimize their negative impacts while preserving their benefits for health and agronomy. Next, the research direction may no longer be confined to a single technology. The combination of multi-omics approaches - such as genomics, transcriptome analysis and gene editing - is increasingly being used to breed new varieties of legumes that are both nutritionally rich and can reduce ANF content. However, in practice, it is hard to avoid the situation where "one hair moves and the whole body is affected". For instance, when certain anti-nutritional substances are reduced, it may also affect the quality or yield of seeds. Therefore, how to keep these side effects within a reasonable range is a problem that must be considered during breeding. Furthermore, some institutional issues remain unclear, such as how exactly does ANF affect nutrient absorption? Which
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