Vetch seeds

Seeds of Vicia sativa (common vetch) — a legume used mainly as animal feed, since the seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides and other antinutritional factors that limit human use. Vetch seeds are protein-rich and agronomically valuable as nitrogen-fixing forage, but compounds such as vicine and convicine (in related vetches) and cyanide-releasing glycosides require processing or restrict inclusion rates in diets. In food-security contexts, vetches are famine foods requiring prolonged leaching or cooking. For feed formulation, vetch seed inclusion is capped and sometimes heat-treated to reduce antinutrients — a reminder that protein content alone does not define a safe, nutritious ingredient.