*3.5. Relationships between Physico-Chemical Values of Legume Seeds during the Germination Period*

The first main component (PC1) opposes the pH and acidity values, obtaining a significant reverse correlation (r = −0.776) for a level of 0.01. This fact is explainable since it is well known that the higher the acidity, the lower the pH. Additionally, the carbohydrate contents, which are in predominant in all legume types analyzed, are in opposition with all chemical data of protein, fat and ash, which present high significant negative correlations of r = −0.930, r = −0.922 and r = −0.809 for a level of 0.01. It is known that nitrogenous substances accumulate in the grains before the starch. The more starch that accumulates in the grain during the maturation process, the lower its contents of protein and other substances are. Of the carbohydrates content, starch is predominant, and therefore the negative correlation between carbohydrates and protein, fat and ash is somehow predictable. Closeness of moisture and iron (Fe) to the center of PC shows that these variables are not useful when describing the differences between legumes analyzed. As for the second component (PC2), the lupine and soybean legume types were placed in the left part of the graph, while chickpea, bean and lentil were placed in the right part of the graph, with very good correlations shown between these samples. From the mineral association point of view with the analyzed legumes, it seems that magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) minerals are more correlated with chickpea samples, which, according to the data obtained, are in the highest amount, whereas sodium (Na) is the most associated with lupine samples.

#### **4. Materials and Methods**
