Soybean Oil: Genetic Approaches for Modification of Functionality and Total Content

摘要

World consumption of soybean (Glycine max) in 2008 was over 221 million metric tons, with approximately 50% of this supply coming from U.S. production, where soybean plantings on an annual basis are over 77 million ha. Soybeans are desired on the marketplace as a valuable source of protein and oil. The former is primarily used as feed, with some food applications, while the latter is more broadly incorporated into food, feed, and some industrial applications (e.g. biodiesel). Protein and oil percentages in soybean, while influenced by both genotype and environmental cues, average approximately 40% and 20%, respectively. A strong indirect phenotypic correlation exists between these traits. In addition, variation in soybean germplasm for protein content is significantly greater than that observed for total oil content. Historically, soybean breeders have used total protein content as a selection criterion for germplasm development. However, recently, both oil content and quality have drawn much attention in soybean genetics and breeding programs, due to the increased demand for vegetable oils and increased consumer awareness of health issues around dietary fats. To this end, significant efforts have been made to increase oxidative stability of soybean oil as a means to avoid trans-fats generated through the hydrogenation process and to enhance -3 fatty acid content of the oil for use in both food and feed applications and increase the total oil content of seeds.