ABSTRACT Demand for plant‐based foods, including legumes, is growing as a result of consumer preferences shifting toward food sustainability and plant‐based, protein‐rich foods. However, to ensure the food safety of such alternatives, assessing the prevalence of foodborne pathogens related to these products is critical, especially with their increasing consumption reaching 28. 9 billion in 2024 for plant‐based foods. The objectives of this review are to describe foodborne outbreaks and recalls associated with legume foods since the early 2010s and to identify patterns of bacterial contamination and mitigation strategies. The majority of recalled products contained either Salmonella (50. 0%) or Listeria monocytogenes (44. 2%). In total, 3101 reported foodborne diseases were associated with 91 outbreaks of legume‐based foods, of which beans accounted for 48. 8% of reported outbreaks, sprouts for 24. 2%, and chickpeas for 14. 3%. Whereas post‐sprouting treatments were limited due to growth/yield reduction, interventions on legume seeds resulted in 3–5‐log reductions of pathogens and maintained sprout germination. In low‐moisture products with high fat content (e. g. , peanut and soybean butter), thermal treatments with microwave or radio frequency have been shown to reduce Salmonella populations by 4–4. 5 logs. Innovative technologies (including cold plasma, plasma‐activated water, pulsed ultraviolet, ultrasound‐assisted organic acids, and advanced heat treatments) have achieved between 3‐ and 8‐log reductions. Vacuum heating with vacuumed hydrogen peroxide vapor, plasma‐activated water, and tyndallization resulted in 6‐, 7‐, and 8‐log reductions of pathogens, respectively. The findings denote that identifying key pathogens and high‐risk products can guide targeted interventions and processing techniques to reduce microbial contamination in legume foods and sprouts.
Faliarizao et al. (2026) studied this question.