Characterization of four soybean varieties grown on Mexican land: a preliminary analysis for a proteomic study

Abstract

Soybean is a source of high-quality proteins and fatty acids for animal and human nutrition. To satisfy the national demand of this crop it is necessary to increase the production of soybean by developing or selecting species that are resistant to adverse environmental conditions. Four soybean varieties customarily grown in Mexico were studied in a comparative manner. Each variety was characterized on the basis of impurities, grain integrity, water content, total and free fatty acids content, protein content, and germination capability following the methods and regulations indicated in NMX-FF-089-1994-SCFI, ISTA and AOAC. None of the soybean varieties presented impurities; Huasteca-100 soybean had a lower percentage of immature grains while the UFV-1 variety had the lowest number of grains damaged by microorganisms. Humidity contents were similar in all four soybean varieties (around 7%). The Huasteca-100 variety had some lower protein content while the UFV-1 variety had the maximum (39%). On the contrary, the lipid content was higher in Huasteca-100 and lower in the UFV-1 variety. Based on these results and on the fact that Huasteca 100 was a strong prospect for massive cultivation in Mexico, this variety was considered an adequate substrate to further study the effect of diverse stressing conditions.

Keywords:

• soybean
• Mexican crops
• Huasteca-100
• stress proteins

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Engineer Rafael Reza Alemán from INIFAP campus Iguala, Guerrero, México, for kindly providing the soybean varieties used in the study and to Drs Gloria Dávila Ortíz, Lidia Dorantes Álvarez and Carmen Jacinto Hernández for their enlightening discussions on this work. The study was carried out under the auspices of COTEPABE, COFAA, EDI, and SIP of Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México.