Here's a PPT on the very important legume: soybean (Glycine max).

1. Glycine max (L.) Merr
By Ryan Long
SOYBEAN

2. TAXONOMY

3. FABACEAE
 Bean/legume/Pea family
 Diversity:
 3rd largest plant family behind Asters and Orchids
 765 genera, 20,000 known species
 Characteristics: pinnately compound or trifoliate leaves, nitrogen-fixing root nodules,
many have a pulvinus and tendrils, fruit type: legume
 Flowers: five fused sepals, five distinct petals
 Subfamily Faboideae: flowers have banner and keel
 Along with cereals, many have been staple human foods; closely linked to human
evolution
 Economically important crops: Glycine max (soybean), Phaseolus (beans), Pisum
sativum (pea),Cicer arietinum (chickpeas), Medicago sativa (alfalfa),Arachis hypogaea
(peanut),Ceratonia siliqua (carob), and Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice).

4. PEA FLOWER ANATOMY

5. SOYBEAN ECONOMICS
 Infinite food applications
 See the following slides
 Variety of uses likely due to heat-stable proteins
 Soybeans are the reason you can eat meat
 Glycine soja is the wild ancestor of Glycine max;
native to Japan,China, Russia, & Korea
 Exceptional source of nutrients, providing in a 100 g
raw serving
 Protein (36% DV),
 Dietary fiber (37%)
 Iron (121%)
 Manganese (120%)
 Phosphorus (101%)
 several B vitamins, including folate (94%)

6. PRODUCTS (UNFERMENTED)

7. FERMENTED PRODUCTS
Tempeh
Miso
Soy sauce
Fermented black
soybeans (douchi)

8. “SECOND GENERATION”
SOY PRODUCTS

9. SOY
LECITHIN
The emulsifier in practically everything

10. SOYBEAN
ISOFLAVONES
 Health effects have been rigorously investigated for the
past 25yrs
 Known for being uniquely rich in isoflavones, which are
both phytoestrogens and selective estrogen receptor
modulators
 Many purported benefits, but concerns exist
 Isoflavone conc. varies with preparation
 Isoflavones: good or bad?
 Isoflavones do not adversely affect the breast, thyroid or
uterus of postmenopausal women
 According to the European Food Safety Authority
 North American Menopause Society also concluded that
isoflavones do not increase risk of breast or endometrial
cancer.
 Most animals metabolize isoflavones very differently from
humans, so animal studies are of limited value
 Including rodents and non-human primates
Human digestion

11. SOYBEAN & HEALTH
 Compared to other legumes, soy is much higher in
fat, moderately higher in protein and much lower in
carbohydrate
 Iron absorption
 High in iron
 Adaptation occurs to counteract inhibitory effects
of phytate
 Soy alleviates hot flashes and may favorably affect
renal function, alleviate depressive symptoms and
improve skin health
 May also lower cholesterol, lower high blood
pressure, positively affect cardiovascular health,
improve bone health, and improve arterial function
The ideal scenario is to incorporate soy
into your diet, and by doing so, displacing
less healthy foods

12. FUN FACTS
 Soybeans are the most
valuable agricultural export
of the United States
 Soybean is a major biotech
crop
 One acre of soybeans can
produce 82,368 crayons.

13. LITERATURE CITED
1. Messina, Mark. “Soy and Health Update: Evaluation of the
Clinical and Epidemiologic Literature.” Nutrients, vol. 8, no.
12, 2016, p. 754., https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8120754.
2. Simpson, Michael G. “Diversity and Classification of
Flowering Plants: Eudicots.” Plant Systematics, 2010, pp.
275–448., https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-374380-0.50008-
7.

14. PICTURE DUMP