Benchmarking Nutraceutical Soybean Composition Relative to Protein and Oil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore relationships between protein, oil, and seedweight with seed nutraceutical composition, focused on total isoflavone (TI) and totaltocopherol (TT) contents across genotypic and environmental combinations in soybean.We conducted a synthesis-analysis of peer-reviewed published field studies reportingTI, TT, protein, oil, and seed weight (n = 1,908). The main outcomes from thissynthesis-analysis were: (i) relationship of TI-to-protein concentration was positive,though for the upper boundary, TI decreases with increases in protein; (ii) relationshipof TT-to-oil concentration was positive, but inconsistent when oil was expressed in mgper seed; and (iii) as seed weight increased, TI accumulation was less than proportionalrelative to protein concentration and TT decreased more proportional relative to oilconcentration. Association between nutraceuticals and protein, oil, and seed weightfor soybean reported in the present study can be used as a foundational knowledgefor soybean breeding programs interested on predicting and selecting enhanced mealisoflavone and/or oil tocopherol contents.