**1. Botanical Information:**
– Etymology: The word “soy” originated from Cantonese or Japanese names for soy sauce.
– Classification: Genus Glycine includes subgenera Glycine and Soja, with G.max and wild soybeans in Soja.
– Description: Soybeans grow through distinct stages from seeds to mature plants.
**2. Growth and Development:**
– Germination: Radicle emergence, cotyledon development, and stem growth are key stages.
– Seed Resilience: Soybeans have hard, water-resistant hulls and can fix atmospheric nitrogen.
– Conditions: Soybeans thrive in hot climates, require nitrogen fixation, and prefer moist alluvial soils.
**3. Nutritional Composition:**
– Macronutrients: Raw soybeans contain sugars, dietary fiber, and fats.
– Protein Quality: Soy protein is heat-stable, offers a complete profile, and has a high digestibility score.
– Seed Proteins: Soybeans contain globulin storage proteins and allergenic proteins.
**4. Chemical Composition:**
– Carbohydrates: Soybeans contain sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose, contributing to flatulence.
– Fats and Other Constituents: Soybeans have fats, phytosterols, isoflavones, saponins, and phytoestrogens.
**5. Historical and Geographical Context:**
– History: Soybeans were crucial in East Asia, with evidence of domestication in China, Japan, and Korea.
– Global Spread: Soybeans were traded by European traders and introduced to various continents over centuries.
– Regional Cultivation: Soybean cultivation has historical roots in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, Iberia, and North America.
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (Glycine max) is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
| Soybean | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Glycine |
| Species: | G. max
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| Binomial name | |
| Glycine max | |
| Synonyms | |
| Soybean | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 大豆 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "large bean" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Southern Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃豆 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄豆 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "yellow bean" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | đậu tương (or đỗ tương) đậu nành | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Hán | 豆漿 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Nôm | 豆𥢃 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 대두 (or 메주콩) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 大豆 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 大豆 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kana | ダイズ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and tofu skin are made. Fermented soy foods include soy sauce, fermented bean paste, nattō, and tempeh. Fat-free (defatted) soybean meal is a significant and cheap source of protein for animal feeds and many packaged meals. For example, soybean products, such as textured vegetable protein (TVP), are ingredients in many meat and dairy substitutes.
Soybeans contain significant amounts of phytic acid, dietary minerals and B vitamins. Soy vegetable oil, used in food and industrial applications, is another product of processing the soybean crop. Soybean is the most important protein source for feed farm animals (that in turn yields animal protein for human consumption).