Related topics: genes · corn

Sequencing the genome of a newly discovered soybean pest

University of Minnesota students conducted crucial genome sequencing for the newly discovered soybean gall midge—a pest that is threatening the soybean crop, one of the most widely cultivated and consumed throughout the ...

Why steamed hay can lead to protein deficiency in horses

Hay treated with hot steam is safer for horses but provides them with less protein. The horse forage is treated with steam to rid it of potentially harmful microorganisms and to bind particles that could otherwise be inhaled. ...

New monounsaturated soybean oil works well in pig diets

Adding a fat source to the traditional corn-soy swine diet is common practice, but the type of fat can make a difference both for growing pigs and carcass quality. Polyunsaturated fats, the primary type in distillers dried ...

Cover crops can lower yields, according to new study

The promise for American agriculture is tantalizing: healthier soil, more carbon kept in the ground, less fertilizer runoff, and less need for chemicals. The reality of planting cover crops during the off-season—a much-touted ...

page 1 from 34

Soybean

The soybean (U.S.) or soya bean (UK) (Glycine max) is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a pulse. It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs. Soy is a good source of protein because it contains a significant amount of essential amino acids. Soybeans are the primary ingredient in many processed foods, including dairy product substitutes. The plant is sometimes referred to as greater bean (China) or edamame (Japan), though the latter is more commonly used in English when referring to a specific dish.

The English word "soy" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of 醤油 (しょうゆ, shōyu), the Japanese word for Soya sauce; soya comes from the Dutch adaptation of the same word.

Soybeans are an important source of vegetable oil and protein world wide. Soybean products are the main ingredients in many meat and dairy substitutes. They are also used to make soy sauce, and the oil is used in many industrial applications. The main producers of soy are the United States, Brazil, Argentina, China and India. The beans contain significant amounts of alpha-Linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, and the isoflavones genistein and daidzein.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA