Chapter 1
Soybean (Glycine max)
Rajni Modgil, Beenu Tanwar, Ankit Goyal, and Vikas Kumar
Abstract Soybean (Glycine max), also called as soja bean or soya bean, holds
tremendous economic importance owing to its high amount of oil content (18%),
high-quality proteins (~40%), contribution toward soil fertility, high productivity,
and profitability; and, thus, is rightly referred to as the miracle crop. Soybeans are
also a significant source of polysaccharides, soluble fibers, phytosterols, lecithins,
saponins, and phytochemicals mainly isoflavones which either individually or collaboratively help in promoting health by reducing the incidence of debilitating
diseases like hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, inflammation,
cancer, etc. Century-old literature shows that soybean seeds have been primarily
used in Asia to prepare a variety of fresh, fermented, and dried foods, viz., soy milk,
tofu, soy paste, soy sauce, miso, natto, etc. which have now become popular all over
the world. Furthermore, soybean and its products find various non-food applications
such as in the production of papers, plastics, pharmaceuticals, inks, paints, varnishes,
pesticides, cosmetics, and, more recently, biodiesel.
Keywords Soybean (Glycine max) · Isoflavones · Soy products · Antiadipogenic ·
Anticancer · Hypoglycemic · Soy protein isolates
R. Modgil
Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, College of Home Science, Himachal
Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
e-mail: rajni_modgil1@yahoo.com
B. Tanwar
Department of Dairy Technology, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy and Food Technology,
Mehsana, Gujarat, India
e-mail: beenu@midft.com
A. Goyal (*)
Department of Dairy Chemistry, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy and Food Technology,
Mehsana, Gujarat, India
e-mail: ankit@midft.com
V. Kumar
Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
e-mail: vikaschopra@pau.edu
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
B. Tanwar, A. Goyal (eds.), Oilseeds: Health Attributes and Food Applications,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4194-0_1
1
Soybean (Glycine max)
Rajni Modgil, Beenu Tanwar, Ankit Goyal, and Vikas Kumar
Abstract Soybean (Glycine max), also called as soja bean or soya bean, holds
tremendous economic importance owing to its high amount of oil content (18%),
high-quality proteins (~40%), contribution toward soil fertility, high productivity,
and profitability; and, thus, is rightly referred to as the miracle crop. Soybeans are
also a significant source of polysaccharides, soluble fibers, phytosterols, lecithins,
saponins, and phytochemicals mainly isoflavones which either individually or collaboratively help in promoting health by reducing the incidence of debilitating
diseases like hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, inflammation,
cancer, etc. Century-old literature shows that soybean seeds have been primarily
used in Asia to prepare a variety of fresh, fermented, and dried foods, viz., soy milk,
tofu, soy paste, soy sauce, miso, natto, etc. which have now become popular all over
the world. Furthermore, soybean and its products find various non-food applications
such as in the production of papers, plastics, pharmaceuticals, inks, paints, varnishes,
pesticides, cosmetics, and, more recently, biodiesel.
Keywords Soybean (Glycine max) · Isoflavones · Soy products · Antiadipogenic ·
Anticancer · Hypoglycemic · Soy protein isolates
R. Modgil
Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, College of Home Science, Himachal
Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
e-mail: rajni_modgil1@yahoo.com
B. Tanwar
Department of Dairy Technology, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy and Food Technology,
Mehsana, Gujarat, India
e-mail: beenu@midft.com
A. Goyal (*)
Department of Dairy Chemistry, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy and Food Technology,
Mehsana, Gujarat, India
e-mail: ankit@midft.com
V. Kumar
Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
e-mail: vikaschopra@pau.edu
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
B. Tanwar, A. Goyal (eds.), Oilseeds: Health Attributes and Food Applications,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4194-0_1
1