I've sprouted mung beans (many times) and a few other seeds successfully. I understand the process well. I've now tried sprouting soybeans a number of times but I can't make it past soaking.
After soaking them overnight, I found the beans were soft almost to the point where I could mash them between thumb and finger. Most of the skins had come loose which I expected but quite a few beans had also separated into halves. The first time, I carefully picked through them, trying to remove obvious non-sproutable ones. After the first rinsing, it was hopeless and I tossed them. I bought fresh beans at a different places thinking it might've been a fluke but the same thing happened.
I got thinking and wonder if the soybeans may have been heat treated to prevent sprouting. Monsanto has GMO soybeans but I have no idea if the majority of soybeans sold in stores are theirs. Monsanto zealously guards their products by legal means and it made me wonder if they also guard against consumers growing their seeds by heat treating, in this case at least.
Has anyone an idea if that might be the reason I can't get beyond the soaking stage? If so, I'll buy some non-GMO soybeans from a health food store. If anyone has had success, please let me know. I've bought soybean sprouts from a Chinese market before but the closest one that sells them is at least an hour drive away.
Best Answer
Doing some further searching and reading, it seems soybeans are heat treated to prevent sprouting. How much Monsanto has to do with this, I don't know. They are the main suppliers of non-organic soybeans.
Next time I visit my Vietnamese grocer, I'll check if they have soybeans specifically meant for sprouting.