Key Components of Edible Quality and Their Accumulation in Vegetable Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.).

Key components of edible quality and their accumulation in vegetable soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

Qiu-ying Zhang¹, Yan-sheng Li¹, Chang-kai Liu², Xiao-bing Liu¹

1.  Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 150081, Harbin, China

2.  College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, 150030, Harbin, China

Abstract: The present study analyzed the correlations between seed chemical compositions and edible quality for 30 vegetable soybean cultivars (line). The accumulation of main quality compositions (protein, oil, free amino acid, sucrose, fructose + glucose, raffinose and stachyose) were also investigated using three cultivars differing soluble sugar content. The cumulative contribution of sucrose, fructose + glucose, raffinose, stachyose, protein, free amino acid and oil to edible quality was 67.8%. A significant positive relationship was found between edible quality score and sucrose content (0.864**), while a significant negative relationship was found between edible quality score and protein content (|0.439*). The average content of affinose and stachyose at fresh harvest stage was only 7.4% and 12.4% compared to mature atage, which had much less negative impact on edible quality of vegetable soybean than field grain soybean. The fresh harvest stage can last for one week with highest sucrose content and lowest raffinose and stachyose content. Besides, the average content of amino acid and fructose + glucose was medium, and protein content was 3% less than that of mature stage.Postponing the harvest stage deterioated edible quality due to decreased content in sucrose and monosaccharide, increased content in fat and protein content, as well as a dramatic increase in raffinose and stachyose content. The good master of fresh harvet stage with a consideration of quanlity is essential for edamame production.

Keywords: Vegetable soybean; edible qualities; sucrose; fresh harvest stage