Location: Plant Genetics Research
Project Number: 5070-21000-044-044-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2026
End Date: Aug 31, 2030
Objective:
The overall objective is to develop a pipeline to distinguish incremental but significant improvements in flavor and functional properties of soy ingredients based on additions to the genetic foundation of the “Super” seed composition bundle of high oleic and low linolenic acid oil, lipoxygenase-null, and reduced raffinose family of oligosaccharide traits. Specific objectives are:
1. Characterize volatile chemical profiles of Super soybean varieties with additional seed composition traits, such as reduced polyunsaturated fatty acids, altered saponin profiles, altered 7S (ß-conglycinin) and 11S (glycinin) ratios, high protein content, aromatic trait, as well as seed traits that include green seed coat and cotyledon, black seed coat, and yellow hilum and seed coat.
2. Optimize a processing method appropriate for Super soybeans to produce commercially relevant soy protein concentrates (SPC) and soy protein isolate (SPI) ingredients.
3. Select Super soybean varieties from objective 1 with distinct chemical profiles to process into SPC and SPI and characterize the chemical composition of the ingredients.
4. Determine the effects of soybean variety on the functionality as well as sensory properties and volatile profile of soy protein ingredients.
Approach:
The project follows a staged pipeline from raw seed through to finished protein ingredients.
Stage 1 – Seed Characterization (Objective 1): Super soybean varieties with diverse additional traits will be screened using untargeted metabolomic analysis (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) and targeted chemical profiling, including fatty acid composition and sugar/oligosaccharide analysis. Seed will be analyzed both before and after crushing to capture processing-induced changes in the volatile and chemical profile.
Stage 2 – Processing Optimization (Objective 2): Processing conditions for oil and flake production will be optimized using both solvent extraction and mechanical pressing methods. Resulting flakes will then be further processed into SPC and SPI under standardized conditions suitable for the Super soybean trait background.
Stage 3 – Ingredient Production and Composition (Objective 3): Varieties identified in Stage 1 as having distinct and promising chemical profiles will be selected for scaled processing into SPC and SPI. Ingredient composition will be comprehensively characterized.
Stage 4 – Functional and Sensory Evaluation (Objective 4): Finished SPC and SPI ingredients will be evaluated for functional properties (e.g., solubility, gelation, emulsification) and sensory quality to link upstream seed traits to downstream ingredient performance.