Recent progress in the understanding of the mode of action and effects of antinutritional factors from legume seeds in non-ruminant farm animals

The most significant progress on the mode of action and effects of legume A NFs on non-ruminant farm animals has been made in the understanding of 1) t he effects of(soya bean) trypsin inhibitors and lectins on endogenous N los s in the ileum of pigs, 2) legume (soya bean) allergens, immune mechanisms and chemical mediators involved in gut hypersensitivity reactions in calves , and 3) the adverse effects of condensed tannins and phenolic compounds wi th regard to their molecular weight. The role of(non-ANF) legume proteins, or their undigested fragments, on gut function and N metabolism has also be en addressed. This review highlights the need for multifactorial, analytica l and quantitative approaches for assessing the mode of action and effects of ANFs land undigested dietary protein fractions) on digestion and metabol ism in large animal species. This is crucial for a better understanding of the effects of ANFs with a broad molecular diversity like tannins and alkal oids.