Do you have to disinfect sprouts before you grow them?
April 24, 2020 2:19 PM   Subscribe

Hi, is it necessary to disinfect sprouts before you grow them in a mason jar?

I want to sprout broccoli sprouts in a mason jar and I have looked online to see how people do the rinsing twice a day for about 5 days. My question is, a lot of people just start the process by soaking with water and then rinsing. But some people say you should disinfect with a combination of apple cider vinegar and water, or water and hydrogen peroxide. Is that really necessary? And even more important, does that strip away the nutrients and the cancer-fighting chemicals that are on the broccoli sprout? Thank you in advance, and also, if you know of any good companies to buy from online that are organic, I would love for you to share. Thanks,
Lynn
posted by lynnie-the-pooh to Home & Garden (2 answers total)
 
I don't disinfect my seeds before I sprout them. I think that anyone selling the seeds for sprouting would make sure the seeds are clean before packaging them. That being said I either buy my seeds from a reputable mail-order seed company (Vesey's, I can recommend them if you're in Canada, I don't know if they ship elsewhere) or from a local grocery store. If I was buying them from some random seller off of Amazon for example I probably would try to disinfect them first.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:53 PM on April 24, 2020


The hydrogen peroxide step is recommended because sprouts have been a frequent source of foodborne illness.

For sprouting at home, UC Davis recommends that one do all of the following:
- buy certified pathogen-free seed
- perform the hydrogen peroxide step
- rinse the seed and skim away any floating seed or debris
- sanitize the growing container
- not feed sprouts to vulnerable populations.
posted by jocelmeow at 2:58 PM on April 24, 2020 [8 favorites]


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