On 4/17/2013 11:50 AM, andy ston wrote:
> Recently seeing someone sprout some mung beans in a jar at home, we thought
> we would have a go. But we have just seen printed on a Waitrose packet of
> already sprouted beans, that they are not to be eaten raw.
>
> Yet we are told from other popular sources, that when raw they contain the
> most nutrients.
>
> As far as we understand it, most health problems are likely to come from
> fields where fecal matter is used as fertilizer.
>
> We have found all the dried mung beans that we can see sold from
> Supermarkets and Health food shops in our area in North London (U.K.) are
> coming from China.
>
> Is there a period of time that if we kept the dried beans for, any bacteria
> such as e-coli and salmonella etc etc would not survive this dry
> environment, and thus would be safe to sprout eat raw.
>
> If not, is there anything else we can to with the dried beans to eat raw
> sprouts them safely? Thanks.

....The following steps are suggested for those who want to produce
sprouts at home:

1. Buy certified (pathogen-free) seed* AND

2. Treat the seed by heating on the stovetop for five minutes in a
solution of 3%
hydrogen peroxide (available at most drug stores) preheated to 140°F
(60°C).
Use a clean, accurate cooking thermometer (preferably digital) to
reach and
maintain this temperature during treatment. Typically, the small seed
volumes
used for home sprouting can easily be contained in a small mesh
strainer and
immersed directly into the heated peroxide solution. Swirl the
strainer at one minute intervals to achieve uniform treatment. For
larger volumes, stir the seed occasionally during the heating process
to ensure uniform temperature during treatment. Always discard the
peroxide solution after each seed batch as its effectiveness will
rapidly decline.

3. Rinse the seed in running tap water for 1 minute. In addition, we
recommend
that you place the rinsed seed in a container with enough tap water to
cover
the seed plus one inch. Then carefully skim off all floating seed,
seed coat fragments, and other debris and dispose of them. Although
skimming can be a
tedious process, research has tied most contamination to these materials.

4. Sprout the seed in clean, sanitized containers, well away from
areas of food
preparation, pets, and high household traffic.

To sanitize sprouting containers:
Follow the directions on the bleach container (use plain, not scented
laundry
bleach) for sanitizing kitchen surfaces. Use 3/4 cup of bleach per
gallon of water
(3 tablespoons per quart) and soak the container for at least 5
minutes. Then
rinse with clean water.

5. Follow precautions for consumption as below.
If sprouts are made in the home and eaten raw, young children, elderly
persons,
or persons with weakened immune systems should NOT eat them.


* Current sources include Burpee Seed Co. (http://www.burpee.com) and
Sprout People (http://www.sproutpeople.com).
If you are buying seed to sprout at home, make sure to specifically
request pathogen-free certification, as the seed is not marketed as
such. Certified organic sprout seed is available from several sources,
but the term “organic” does not
necessarily mean that the seed is pathogen-free or that it has been
tested for pathogens. At the same time, this does not suggest that
organically grown seed poses any elevated risk of illness.

http://www.foodsafetysite.com/resour...lfaSprouts.pdf