Fava bean seedlings are a rich source of levo dihydroxy phenylalanine (L-DOPA), the precursor of the neurotransmitter dopamine. The nutraceutical value and seed vigour of light germinated fava bean seedlings were significantly improved by priming with natural elicitors like fish protein hydrolysates (FPH), lactoferrin (LF) and oregano extract (OE). These elicitors stimulate the phenylpropanoid pathway through the pentose phosphate and shikimate pathway enhancing the production of total phenolics and seed vigour. Previous research in our laboratory has shown that the best elicitor concentration for fava bean was 2 ml/l FPH, 50 ppm LF and 5 ml/l of OE. A 100% germination rate was observed in seeds primed with FPH, 97% with OE, and 92% in LF primed and control. Priming with FPH improved growth by 35 and 25.5% by OE when compared to control. The seeds primed with LF showed no significant increase compared to the control. A significant boost in total phenolics was seen in primed seedlings and this correlated with enhanced seedling height and weight. On day 16 the total phenolics was 25, 9 and 17% higher in FPH, LF and OE primed, respectively, when compared to control. On all days measured the G6PDH activity was higher in control than the elicited seedlings. Previous experiments have shown that for all elicitor treatments a high G6PDH activity was recorded during early germination (24 h) with a concurrent increase in total phenolics and was then reduced by day 20. In the case of control seedlings, phenolics and G6PDH activity was highest on day 20 corresponding to potential delayed developmental demand for metabolites. A steady increase in the GPX activity was observed as the germination progressed both in the case of control and primed seedlings reflecting the plants need for phenolics for lignification and structural development during growth. The antioxidant activity was maximal on day 20 for all treatments demonstrating that perhaps polymerization of phenolics has an antioxidant enhancing effect. The L-DOPA content in fava bean primed with FPH showed a 120% increase over that of the control, corresponding with the high phenolic production on day 16. The elicitors LH and OE showed a 97 and 30% increase respectively over that of the control. The present study demonstrates that elicited fava bean seedlings containing enhanced levels Of L-DOPA has excellent potential for use as a functional food, nutraceutical and as an antioxidant. This research also holds agronomic importance suggesting the use of FPH and OE as elicitors to improve fava bean seed vigour and plant productivity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.