like spinach (1145 mg/100 g) and chocolate (155–485 mg/100 g dry matter) (Massey
et al. 1993) but raises concern over its consumption. Al-Wahsh and authors reported
2–58 mg oxalate per serving in 40 soy foods. Soy flour, textured vegetable soy
protein, roasted soybeans, soy nuts, tempeh, and soya butter reportedly had higher
than 10 mg oxalate per serving and, thus, come under high-oxalate foods (Al-Wahsh
et al. 2005; Massey et al. 2001). However, domestic processing methods like salt
treatment, roasting, etc. can help decreasing the oxalate content up to 40% and 20%,
respectively (Maidala et al. 2013), and can help in efficient nutrient utilization.
1.3.6.5 Phenolics
Decreased incidence of cardiovascular diseases and different types of cancer in
Asian population vis-à-vis Europeans and Americans drove scientists to search for
valid reasons behind and reported the intake of soybeans as the significant factor.
More comprehensive studies made an observation that the polyphenolic compounds
present in soy which also possess estrogenic activity could be the contributing
factors (Lampe 2003). De Toledo et al. (2007) observed phenolic compounds
and tannin concentration in the range between 6.60 and 8.07 mg/g and 0.28 and
0.39 mg/g, respectively, in different soybean cultivars.
1.3.6.6 Isoflavones
Among all the other flavonoids present in legumes, isoflavones are the major ones in
soybeans and occur as β-glucosides (30–35%; genistin, daidzin, and glycitin),
aglycones (4–12%; daidzein, genistein, and glycitein), 6
00 -O-acetyl-β-glucosides
(0–5%), 6
00 -O-malonyl-β-glucosides (50–65%), and 4
0 -methyl ethers of daidzein
and genistein, formononetin, and biochanin A (Franke et al. 1999; Genovese et al.
2006; Villares et al. 2011). Whole soy contains approx. 50–450 mg/100 g dried
weight of total isoflavones (Kim et al. 2006; Ciabotti et al. 2016) with majority
(80–90%) of total seed isoflavones concentrated in the cotyledons (Tsukamoto et al.
1995). Soy isoflavones have been reported to reduce cholesterol levels and, thus, risk
of cardiovascular diseases (Rivas et al. 2002; Wiseman et al. 2000; Harland and
Haffner 2008); inhibit cell proliferation; and have, thus, anticancer property (Shu
et al. 2001; Lamartiniere et al. 2000; Jayachandran and Xu 2019) in addition to
antioxidant (Lee et al. 2008), anti-aging (Oyama et al. 2012; Kim et al. 2015), antiinflammatory (García-Lafuente et al. 2009), and antiallergic properties (Masilamani
et al. 2011).
1.3.6.7 Saponins
Saponins, the triterpenes, or steroid aglycones (sapogenin) with one or more sugar
chains occur in a wide variety of plants. Soybeans are the prime dietary source of
10
R. Modgil et al.
et al. 1993) but raises concern over its consumption. Al-Wahsh and authors reported
2–58 mg oxalate per serving in 40 soy foods. Soy flour, textured vegetable soy
protein, roasted soybeans, soy nuts, tempeh, and soya butter reportedly had higher
than 10 mg oxalate per serving and, thus, come under high-oxalate foods (Al-Wahsh
et al. 2005; Massey et al. 2001). However, domestic processing methods like salt
treatment, roasting, etc. can help decreasing the oxalate content up to 40% and 20%,
respectively (Maidala et al. 2013), and can help in efficient nutrient utilization.
1.3.6.5 Phenolics
Decreased incidence of cardiovascular diseases and different types of cancer in
Asian population vis-à-vis Europeans and Americans drove scientists to search for
valid reasons behind and reported the intake of soybeans as the significant factor.
More comprehensive studies made an observation that the polyphenolic compounds
present in soy which also possess estrogenic activity could be the contributing
factors (Lampe 2003). De Toledo et al. (2007) observed phenolic compounds
and tannin concentration in the range between 6.60 and 8.07 mg/g and 0.28 and
0.39 mg/g, respectively, in different soybean cultivars.
1.3.6.6 Isoflavones
Among all the other flavonoids present in legumes, isoflavones are the major ones in
soybeans and occur as β-glucosides (30–35%; genistin, daidzin, and glycitin),
aglycones (4–12%; daidzein, genistein, and glycitein), 6
00 -O-acetyl-β-glucosides
(0–5%), 6
00 -O-malonyl-β-glucosides (50–65%), and 4
0 -methyl ethers of daidzein
and genistein, formononetin, and biochanin A (Franke et al. 1999; Genovese et al.
2006; Villares et al. 2011). Whole soy contains approx. 50–450 mg/100 g dried
weight of total isoflavones (Kim et al. 2006; Ciabotti et al. 2016) with majority
(80–90%) of total seed isoflavones concentrated in the cotyledons (Tsukamoto et al.
1995). Soy isoflavones have been reported to reduce cholesterol levels and, thus, risk
of cardiovascular diseases (Rivas et al. 2002; Wiseman et al. 2000; Harland and
Haffner 2008); inhibit cell proliferation; and have, thus, anticancer property (Shu
et al. 2001; Lamartiniere et al. 2000; Jayachandran and Xu 2019) in addition to
antioxidant (Lee et al. 2008), anti-aging (Oyama et al. 2012; Kim et al. 2015), antiinflammatory (García-Lafuente et al. 2009), and antiallergic properties (Masilamani
et al. 2011).
1.3.6.7 Saponins
Saponins, the triterpenes, or steroid aglycones (sapogenin) with one or more sugar
chains occur in a wide variety of plants. Soybeans are the prime dietary source of
10
R. Modgil et al.