Comparative analysis of cooking methods on nutritional composition and eating quality of peanut sprouts

• Impacts of different cooking methods on the nutrition and eating quality of PS. • PS that are cooked in the microwave garner the highest level of acceptance. This study investigated the effects of different cooking methods on the nutritional composition and eating quality of peanut sprouts (PS). Five cooking methods including boiling, steaming, microwave heating, roasting, and deep-frying were tested. Microwave heating resulted in the highest retention of crude protein (98.0%) and carbohydrate content (92.9%), while fatty acid content did not significantly differ from levels detected in untreated PS. Compared to uncooked sprouts, cooked PS exhibited increased levels of ash, fat, protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and fatty acid with a decreased moisture content. Steamed PS retained better structural integrity with higher viscosity. Microwaved and roasted PS received higher sensory scores and similar textural properties. Regarding color, microwaved and roasted PS received the highest brightness value ( L *), with moderate redness ( a *) and yellowness ( b *) values. The sensory evaluation results aligned with the textural and color data, suggesting that microwaved PS would be generally accepted by the public.