SR9085 - Determination of the Functional (Value-Added) Components of Ontario Produced Soybeans, their Soybean Oils, and By-Products for the Purpose of Developing Value-Added Novel Soy Food Products for the Ontario Food Industry

Researcher:

Dr. Chung-Ja C. Jackson, Lab. Services Div., University of Guelph

Objectives:

1. To develop and validate rapid, effective analytical methods for the isolation, identification and quantification of lignans and lecithin components.
   

2. To determine the concentrations of isoflavones, saponins, sterols, tocopherols, 7S and 11S protein, total protein, total fat, carbohydrates, ash, and lignans, and lecithin in Ontario grown soybeans, and their by-products.
   

3. To assess and quantify the functional (value-added) components present in soybean oil, and by-products.
   

4. To evaluate the value of soy by-products, which will help to increase utilization by the Ontario soy food industry.
   

5. To explore the methods for isolation and separation of saponins, isoflavones and other components of soybean, its by-products and soybean oil by using techniques such as Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) or Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE).
   

6. To make recommendations to the soybean growers and processors regarding possible production of value-added novel products from soybean by-products and soybean oils.
   

7. To determine the content of Tocopherol, Lecithin and lignans, and for type and amount of genetic variation in soybeans grown in multiple locations in Ontario.
   

8. To initiate bi-parental crosses between pairs of genotypes to study the inheritance of the concentration of lecithin, lignans and tocopherols, once consistent genetic variation has been identified.

Expected Benefits:

1. Analayses of value-added components will help in he promotion and use of soy fods fo rhuman consumption in North America.
   

2. Analyses will lead to the investigation of potential utilization of soybean by-products and soybean-oil.
   

3. With consumers becoming more informed about the health benefits of consumer soy proudcts, the Ontario soybean industry and the Ontario public both stand to gain from a greater, more diverse supply of Ontario-based products.
   

Sumnmary of Research Results:

• Developed and validated a new analytical method for the determination of phospholipids (PC, PE, PS, PI, and PA) by using HPLC with ELSD. It can be used widely to test soybean varieties and by-products in order to estimate the value-added components in them. It will lead to commercial separation technique and the development of facilities to isolate the phospholipid components for pharmaceutical industries, which would have health benefits to humans.
  

• For the first time, determining the tocopherols in the Ontario grown soybean varieties grown at different locations and in different CHU zones to evaluate the influence environment and genetic factors on these compounds. Our finding could help the soybean breeders and growers decide what varieties to grow at what location and in which CHU to maximize the yield of tocopherols in soybean seeds.
  

• Several possibilities of extraction and separation (or isolation) of value-added components such as isoflavones, soyasapogenols, tocopherols, phospholipids either from soybean itself or its by-products could be exploited in Ontario. It is high time for Ontario to be proactive and establish facilities that utilise soybeans and its by-products for producing soy foods and other processed ingredients, such as soy protein concentrates, soy protein isolates, and ready to eat soy food products (e.g. "energy bars," snack products for venting machines, etc.)
  

• From these phytochemical data, farmers , breeders and other soybean researchers could gain much more information to produce better and healthiersoybeans.