International Journal of Agronomy 
Volume 2009 (2009), Article ID 484571, 8 pages
doi:10.1155/2009/484571
Research Article

Sugar Variation in Soybean Seed Assessed with a Rapid Extraction and Quantification Method

A. Hou,1,2 P. Chen,1 A. Shi,1,3 B. Zhang,1 and Y.-J. Wang4

 1Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
2Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Unit 100-101 Route 100, Morden, MB, R6M 1Y5, Canada
3Institute of Genomic Diversity, Cornell University, 175 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
4Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72704, USA
Received 23 April 2008; Accepted 16 June 2008

Recommended by Rodomiro Ortiz

Abstract

Sugar content in soybean [Glycine max (L) Merr.] seed is an important quality attribute for soyfood and feed. Rapid extraction and quantification of soluble sugars in soybean seed are essential for large-scale breeding selections. In this study, using water as extractant combined with a high-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) system, variability and repeatability of sugar content were tested in 20 diverse soybean genotypes. Individual sugars were clearly resolved and identified, including sucrose, stachyose, raffinose, glucose, fructose, and verbascose. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a highly reproducible estimation of sucrose, stachyose, and raffinose. PI 243545 was confirmed as a unique germplasm with the highest sucrose (105.48 mg/g) and total sugar (148.76 mg/g) content. Two low-oligosaccharide accessions, PI 200508 and 03CB-14, were confirmed with extremely low concentrations of raffinose and stachyose. PI 417559 was identified as a high glucose and fructose germplasm. The identified germplasm with unique sugar profiles will be valuable in breeding specialty soybeans for improved sugar content. The sugar testing method will facilitate the screening of seed sugar profiles in a large-scale soybean breeding program.