Soybean

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The soybean (U.S.) or soya bean (UK) (Glycine max) is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a pulse. It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs. Soy is a good source of protein because it contains a significant amount of essential amino acids. Soybeans are the primary ingredient in many processed foods, including dairy product substitutes. The plant is sometimes referred to as greater bean (China) or edamame (Japan), though the latter is more commonly used in English when referring to a specific dish.

The English word "soy" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of 醤油 (しょうゆ, shōyu), the Japanese word for Soya sauce; soya comes from the Dutch adaptation of the same word.

Soybeans are an important source of vegetable oil and protein world wide. Soybean products are the main ingredients in many meat and dairy substitutes. They are also used to make soy sauce, and the oil is used in many industrial applications. The main producers of soy are the United States, Brazil, Argentina, China and India. The beans contain significant amounts of alpha-Linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, and the isoflavones genistein and daidzein.

For more information about Soybean, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with soybean

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Replicating Climate Change to Forecast its Effects

Replicating Climate Change to Forecast its Effects

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 2.5 / 5 (4) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are replicating the effects of climate change to see what the future holds for soybeans, wheat and the soils where they grow.


Nanotech treatment gets boost with GSK licensing agreement

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- GlaxoSmithKline and Ann Arbor-based NanoBio Corporation announced today that they have signed an exclusive over-the-counter licensing agreement for NanoBio’s unique nanoemulsion treatment for cold sores in ...


Scientists unveil chocolate-fueled race car (AP)

Scientists unveil chocolate-fueled race car

Technology / Energy

created May 05, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (9) | comments 3

(AP) -- Scientists unveiled on Tuesday what they hope will be one of the world's fastest biofuel vehicles, powered by waste from chocolate factories and made partly from plant fibers.


Fill 'er up -- with algae

Fill 'er up -- with algae

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Oct 07, 2009 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (10) | comments 0

Imagine filling up your car with fuel that comes from inexpensive algae that grow quickly, don't use up freshwater supplies and can be cultivated in areas where they won't compete with traditional food crops, ...


Researchers study insecticide-free method for control of soybean aphids

Biology / Ecology

created Sep 15, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Two Iowa State University researchers are examining a new method of controlling soybean aphids without the use of chemical pesticides. Bryony Bonning, professor of entomology, and Allen Miller, professor of pl ...


The WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car drives down the straight of a test track at Bruntingthorpe, near Lutterworth

Mean, green machine - future of motor racing

Technology / Energy

created Jun 30, 2009 | popularity 2.8 / 5 (4) | comments 3

Cars powered by chocolate, steered by carrots with drivers sitting on soybean oil foam seats - it's motor racing's cheap, cheerful and environmentally-friendly series of the future.


The pluses and (mostly) minuses of biofuels

The pluses and (mostly) minuses of biofuels

Technology / Energy

created Feb 23, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 7

Speakers at last week’s AAAS meeting presented abundant evidence that tropical rainforest destruction has accelerated in recent years, at least in part because of the worldwide push to produce more biofuels.


A farmer harvests his soybean crop near Ottawa, Illinois

Corn, soy yields gain little from genetic engineering: study

Biology / Biotechnology

created Apr 14, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (7) | comments 0

The use of genetically engineered corn and soybeans in the United States for more than a decade has had little impact on crop yields despite claims that they could ease looming food shortages, a study released ...


WFU researchers are developing a cheaper way to make biodiesel

Technology / Energy

created May 04, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Biodiesel is not likely to replace gasoline as the main source of transportation fuel in most of our lifetimes. But researchers at Wake Forest University are convinced that they have a formula for a catalyst that could lower ...


'First economical process' for making biodiesel fuel from algae

Economical, eco-friendly process for making biodiesel fuel from algae

Chemistry / Other

created Mar 26, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Chemists reported development of what they termed the first economical, eco-friendly process to convert algae oil into biodiesel fuel — a discovery they predict could one day lead to U.S. independence from ...


Black-and-white printing goes green with soy toner

Technology / Other

created Apr 22, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

(AP) -- Every time you print out a page on a laser printer you're using toner made from petroleum-based products. Now there's a greener choice that shows promise: a toner product derived from soybean oil.


Simple soybean anything but - genetically, researcher says

Biology /

created Dec 16, 2008 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Think humans are complex creatures? Consider the lowly soybean, said a Purdue University researcher. When it comes to genetics, the soybean plant is far more intricate than that of a human, said Scott Jackson, ...


Dry Soybean Pod

Joint Genome Institute completes soybean genome

Biology /

created Dec 08, 2008 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has released a complete draft assembly of the soybean (Glycine max) genetic code, making it widely available to the research community to advance ...


Oil from biotech soybeans increases key omega-3 fatty acid in humans

Medicine & Health / Health

created Nov 16, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Oil from soybeans modified through biotechnology increased levels of omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in red blood cells according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.


Scientists Find Ozone Levels Already Affecting Soybean Yields

Scientists Find Ozone Levels Already Affecting Soybean Yields

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Current atmospheric ozone levels are already suppressing soybean yields, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and university cooperators studying the effect of global ...