Na-phosphate buffer extracts from seed coat of faba bean, horse bean, lentil and pea showed superoxide radical anion scavenging effect in the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system. The potential hierarchy for scavenging superoxide radicals in investigated seed coats extracts appears to be as follows: lentil> faba bean > pea> horse bean. Superoxide scavenging activity of extracts showed statistically insignificant correlation with the total antioxidative activity (r = 0,64; p £ 0,05). Extracted and partly purified (with the use of Sephadex G-75) seed coat proteins of pea revealed the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Electrophoretic separation of protein fractions showing antioxidative activity conducted in denaturating conditions (SDS-PAGE) showed the presence of proteins of molecular weights lower than 66 kDa, whereas the predominant proteins in both active fractions were those of high molecular weights (approx. 600 kDa) as it was found by gel filtration chromatography in FPLC system. In these two active fractions phenolic compounds were detected, so it can be supposed that they can interact with protein and occur as protein phenolic compound complexes of high molecular weight.