Search Results (5,071)

Human health, sustainable development, numerous environmental issues, and animal welfare are increasingly driving research and development of plant-based protein products that can serve as meat substitutes. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years due to growing consumer awareness, with people gradually shifting from animal-based foods to more sustainable plant-based options. Soy proteins are a valuable source of plant proteins and are widely used in human and animal diets due to their nutritional value and health benefits. In this study, soybean protein extraction by two methods was compared: water extraction (lower salt content) and Tris-HCl extraction (higher salt content), aiming to characterize the resulting protein fractions. These fractions were studied using differential precipitation based on the isoelectric point. Protein identification by SDS-PAGE, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for cellular structure assessment, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to determine residual protein left in the solid fraction after extraction using the two methods. Electrophoresis assays revealed the presence of the four main protein fractions (2S, 7S, 11S, and soy whey proteins) in the defatted soybean flakes, establishing the protein profile of Brazilian soybeans and for the two main waste streams of the production process—spent flakes and whey. The separation of fractions was carried out by differential precipitation. FTIR analysis indicated higher residual protein levels in solid residues after the water extraction method compared to the Tris-HCl extraction method. SEM analysis revealed the removal of protein bodies in both extraction methods and the presence of residual oil-containing bodies. Both methodologies are viable alternatives for the industrial separation of soybean protein fractions. Differential precipitation could be implemented to produce isolated products and improve the nutritional profile, increase process yield thus generating less industrial waste and driving the process towards environmental sustainability. Full article

Increasing soybean productivity can be achieved by treating seeds with biostimulants. To this end, an investigation was conducted into the potential of a formulation prepared with clove es-sential oil (CEO) diluted in soybean oil for seed treatment. Soybean seeds were treated with CEO concentrations between 0.5 to 3.0 mL/L, and subjected to germination, vigor, and sanity analyses. The CEO at 1.6 mL/L exhibited favorable outcomes regarding germination, root length, and re-duced fungal infection. In this way, a two-crop field experiment evaluated soybean seeds treated with CEO at 1.6 mL/L. Soybean seeds treated with CEO in the field in 2021/2022 were not different from the controls. However, in 2019/2020, there was a higher percentage of emergence, nodulation, and production of 749 kg/ha more than in the industrial treatment. These results highlight the potential use of CEO as a biostimulant. Full article

Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency are the most important factors determining the success of mutation breeding, a coherent tool for quickly enhancing diversity in crops. This study was carried out at Lovely Professional University’s agricultural research farm in Punjab, India, during the year 2023. The experimental design followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment aimed to assess the effect of three chemical mutagens, sodium azide (SA), ethyl methyl sulphonates (EMSs), and methyl methane sulfonate (MMS), at three different concentrations (0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6%), in SL958 and SL744 soybean varieties to select the mutant exhibiting the highest yield. The data were collected and analysed using a two-way ANOVA test through SPSS software (version 22), and the means were separated using Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) at the 5% level of significance. Between the two varieties, the highest seed germination percentage (76.0% seedlings/plot) was recorded in SL958 (0.4% SA), while the lowest (30.33% seedlings/plot) was observed in 0.6% MMS as compared to the control (53% and 76% in SL744 and SL958 at 10 days after sowing, respectively). Several weeks after sowing, the average plant height was observed to be higher (37.84 ± 1.32 cm) in SL958 (0.4% SA) and lower (20.58 ± 0.30 cm) in SL744 (0.6% SA), as compared to the controls (SL958: 26.09 ± 0.62 cm and SL744: 27.48 ± 0.74 cm). The average leaf count was the highest (234.33 ± 3.09 tetrafoliate leaves/plant) in SL958 (0.4% SA) while it was the lowest (87 leaves/plant) in 0.6% MMS as compared to the control (SL744 180.00 ± 1.63 and SL958 160.73 ± 1.05). The highest total leaf areas recorded in the SL958 and SL744 M1plants were 3625.8 ± 1.43 cm² and 2311.03 ± 3.65 cm², respectively. Seeds of the SL958 variety treated with 0.4% SA resulted in the development of tetrafoliate leaves with a broad leaf base and the maximum yield (277.55 ± 1.37 pods/plant) compared to the narrow pentafoliate leaves obtained through the treatment with EMS. Meanwhile, in the SL744 variety, the same treatment led to tetrafoliate leaves with a comparatively lower yield of 206.54 ± 23.47 pods/plant as compared to the control (SL744 164.33 ± 8.58 and SL958 229.86 ± 0.96). The highest protein content (47.04 ± 0.87% TSP) was recorded in the SL958 (0.4% SA) M2 seeds followed by a content of 46.14 ± 0.64% TSP in the SL744 (0.4% SA) M2 seeds, whereas the lowest content (38.13 ± 0.81% TSP) was found in SL958 (0.6% MMS). Similar observations were recorded for the lipid and fibre content. The 0.4% SA treatment in SL958 proved to be efficient in generating the highest leaf area (tetrafoliate leaves) and a reasonable yield of M1 (the first generation after mutation) plants. Full article

Inadequate parameter design of the cleaning device in soybean combine harvesters leads to elevated levels of machine harvesting losses and impurity rates. To provide fundamental data for the optimization of structural parameters of soybean cleaning sieves, it is of great significance to study the collision and bouncing characteristics of soybeans on the cleaning sieve surface and the impact of parameters on the coefficient of restitution (COR). The current study designed a collision platform, using soybeans at the harvest stage as the research subject. The experimental factors included drop height, wall inclination angle, wall movement speed, and wall material. Through single-factor experiments and orthogonal experiments, the effects of different collision parameters on the rebound trajectory and COR of soybeans were investigated. This study focuses on soybeans at the harvest stage as the test subjects. Experiments were conducted on a collision platform and recorded with a high-speed camera to capture the three-dimensional motion trajectories of the soybeans using the principle of specular reflection. Through single-factor experiments, the jumping characteristics of the soybeans on sieve surfaces with different motion characteristics were analyzed. The impact of drop height (400–650 mm), wall inclination angle (8–13°), wall movement speed (0.6–1.1 m/s), and wall material (stainless steel plates and polyurethane plates) on the coefficient of restitution (COR) was calculated and clarified. Multi-factor orthogonal experiments were conducted to determine the significance order of the different factors affecting the COR. Three-dimensional models of the soybeans and the collision platform were constructed using SolidWorks software, and the collision between the soybeans and the cleaning wall was simulated using EDEM software. The micro-forces and energy transfer during the soybean collision were analyzed. The results indicated that the COR of soybeans decreases as the drop height increases, but increases with wall inclination angle and wall movement speed. Additionally, the COR is higher when the soybeans collide with stainless steel plates compared to polyurethane plates. The order of influence of the four factors on the COR were: wall material > wall inclination angle > wall speed > drop height. This study provides important reference value for the efficient and low-loss design of cleaning devices. Full article

China is the largest soybean importer and consumer in the world. Soybean oil is the most-consumed vegetable oil in China, while soybean meal is the most important protein feed raw material in China, which affects the costs of animal husbandry. Volatility in the international soybean market would generate risk spillovers to China’s soybean industrial chain. This paper analyzed the channel of risk spillover from the international soybean market to China’s soybean industry chain and the asymmetry of the risk spillover. The degree of risk spillover from the international soybean market to the Chinese soybean industry chain was measured by the Copula–CoVaR model. The moderating role of inventory and demand in asymmetric risk spillovers was analyzed by quantile regression. We draw the following conclusions: First, the international soybean market impacts China’s soybean industry chain through soybeans rather than soybean meal and oil. The price fluctuation of China soybean market is obviously lower than that of the international soybean market. Second, there are apparent asymmetric risk spillovers from the international soybean market to China’s soybean industry chain, especially the soybean meal market. Third, increasing the Chinese soybean inventory and growing demand could effectively prevent the downside risk spillover from international markets to China’s soybean market. This also explains the asymmetry of risk spillovers. The research enriches the research perspective on food security, and the analysis of risk spillover mechanisms provides a scientific basis for relevant companies to develop risk-management strategies. Full article

Soybean insect pests can seriously affect soybean yield, so efficient and accurate detection of soybean insect pests is crucial for soybean production. However, pest detection in complex environments suffers from the problems of small pest targets, large inter-class feature similarity, and background interference with feature extraction. To address the above problems, this study proposes the detection algorithm SP-YOLO for soybean pests based on YOLOv8n. The model utilizes FasterNet to replace the backbone of YOLOv8n, which reduces redundant features and improves the model’s ability to extract effective features. Second, we propose the PConvGLU architecture, which enhances the capture and representation of image details while reducing computation and memory requirements. In addition, this study proposes a lightweight shared detection header, which enables the model parameter amount computation to be reduced and the model accuracy to be further improved by shared convolution and GroupNorm. The improved model achieves 80.8% precision, 66.4% recall, and 73% average precision, which is 6%, 5.4%, and 5.2%, respectively, compared to YOLOv8n. The FPS reaches 256.4, and the final model size is only 6.2 M, while the number of computational quantities of covariates is basically comparable to that of the original model. The detection capability of SP-YOLO is significantly enhanced compared to that of the existing methods, which provides a good solution for soybean pest detection. SP-YOLO provides an effective technical support for soybean pest detection. Full article

Soybean plants cultivated using mulched drip irrigation planting technology have the following characteristics during the harvest period: green stems and leaves, and a high straw/grain ratio. Moreover, the threshing device of a soybean combine harvester is difficult to adapt to, resulting in an increase in the accumulation and unevenness of the threshed mixture. This leads to an increase in impurity content and the loss rate. We conducted a single-factor experiment on a self-developed longitudinal/axial-flow soybean threshing and separation test bench, employing drum speed, feeding rate, and threshing clearance as experimental factors. The influence of the soybean threshing and separation device’s working parameters on the distribution and uniformity of the threshed mixture in the axial and radial directions of the drum was explored through experiments. The results showed that the mass of the threshed mixture and soybean seeds showed a trend of first rapidly increasing and then slowly decreasing in the axial direction of the drum. Additionally, the mass showed a distribution feature of large values on both sides and small values in the middle in the radial direction. A lower drum speed, greater threshing clearance, and a smaller feeding rate make the radial distribution of a threshed mixture more uniform. Based on the combination of the crushing rate and unthreshed rate, the optimal working parameter combination was determined to be as follows: a drum speed of 500 r/min, a feeding rate of 6 kg/s, and a threshing clearance of 25 mm. The findings of this research offer valuable insights for the structural optimization and design enhancement of threshing and cleaning mechanisms within soybean combine harvesters. Full article

In adult rats, omega-3 supplementation through fish oil (FO) and environmental enrichment (EE) have shown beneficial effects on cognition and stress regulation. This study assessed sex-specific effects of FO and EE during adolescence, a period critical for brain maturation, on adulthood coping mechanisms, sociability, and glucocorticoid regulation. An amount of 64 Wistar rats [n = 32/sex; postnatal day (PND) 23] were assigned to supplementation of control soybean oil (CSO) or menhaden fish oil (FO; 0.3 mL/100 g) from PND28 to 47 and exposed to EE or regular cage (RC) housing from PND28 to 58, with their blood corticosterone (CORT) levels being assessed weekly. As adults, exposure to repeated forced swim tests (FSTs; PND90–91) enabled analysis of coping responses, while socioemotional and memory responses were evaluated using the OFT, EPM, SIT, and Y maze tests (PND92–94). Immunohistochemistry determined hippocampal CA1/CA3 glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression (PND95). CORT secretion gradually increased as the supplementation period elapsed in female rats, while changes were minimal in males. Coping strategies in the FST differed between sexes, particularly in FO-fed rats, where females and males, respectively, favoured floating and tail support to minimise energy consumption and maintain immobility. In the SIT, FO/EE promoted sociability in females, while a CSO diet favoured social recognition in males. Reduced CA3 GR-ir expression was found in FO/RC and CSO/EE rat groups, supporting stress resilience and memory consolidation. Our findings support environment and dietary conditions to exert a sex-specific impact on biobehavioural responses. Full article

Monascus pigments (MPs) and monacolin K (MK) are important secondary metabolites produced by Monascus spp. This study aimed to investigate the effect of soybean protein isolate (SPI) on the biosynthesis of MPs and MK based on the analysis of physiological indicators, transcriptomes, and metabolomes. The results indicated that the growth, yellow MPs, and MK production of Monascus pilosus MS-1 were significantly enhanced by SPI, which were 8.20, 8.01, and 1.91 times higher than that of the control, respectively. The utilization of a nitrogen source, protease activity, the production and utilization of soluble protein, polypeptides, and free amino acids were also promoted by SPI. The transcriptomic analysis revealed that the genes mokA, mokB, mokC, mokD, mokE, mokI, and mokH which are involved in MK biosynthesis were significantly up-regulated by SPI. Moreover, the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate metabolism, fatty acid degradation, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and amino acid metabolism were effectively up-regulated by SPI. The metabolomic analysis indicated that metabolisms of amino acid, lipid, pyruvate, TCA cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, starch and sucrose, and pentose phosphate pathway were significantly disturbed by SPI. Thus, MPs and MK production promoted by SPI were mainly attributed to the increased biomass, up-regulated gene expression level, and more precursors and energies. Full article

Co-inoculation of soybeans with Bradyrhizobium and plant growth-promoting bacteria has displayed promise for enhancing plant growth, but concrete evidence of its impact on soybean yields is limited. Therefore, this study assessed the comparative efficacy of two 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase-producing Pseudomonas species (OFT2 and OFT5) co-inoculated with Bradyrhizobium ottawaense (SG09) on the growth, physiology, nodulation efficiency, and grain yield of three major Japanese soybean cultivars: Enrei, Fukuyutaka, and Satonohohoemi. The experiments were conducted in a warehouse under natural light conditions. The treatments included the inoculation of SG09, SG09 + OFT2, and SG09 + OFT5. Compared with Bradyrhizobium inoculation alone, co-inoculation led to significant improvements in nodulation efficiency, growth, and physiological performance in the Enrei and Fukuyutaka cultivars, but not in the Satonohohoemi cultivar. Furthermore, co-inoculation significantly boosted the total nitrogen content and ion uptake in the shoots, ultimately leading to a remarkable improvement in the grain yield in the Enrei and Fukuyutaka cultivars. These findings contribute to clarifying the interplay among Bradyrhizobium, Pseudomonas, and the plant host cultivar. Notably, Bradyrhizobium–Pseudomonas co-inoculation represents a potentially effective biofertilization strategy for soybean production, highlighting promising avenues for sustainable agricultural practices. Full article

A 56-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the quantitative methionine requirements in the diets of Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus). Eight practical diets using soybean meal, poultry meal, and red lentil meal as the primary protein sources were formulated using graded levels of methionine supplement (0 to 0.70 g/100 g diet). Groups of 15 juvenile Florida pompano (4.04 ± 0.05 g) were size-sorted and placed into one of 40 glass aquaria (132 L) with five replicates per diet. Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were observed in overall biomass, mean weight, weight gain, thermal growth coefficient (TGC), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). To estimate the dietary methionine requirement, a series of statistical models, including the one-slope broken line model (BLM1), two-slope broken line model (BLM2), broken quadratic model (BQM), and four-parameter saturation kinetic model (SKM-4) were used to assess mean weight, weight gain, TGC, apparent net protein retention (ANPR), and methionine retention (MR). The model selection showed that BLM1 fit the data best for MW and TGC, SKM-4 for PWG and ANPR, and BQM for MR. Based on these results, a minimum dietary methionine requirement of 0.68% of the diet or 1.70 g/100 g protein is recommended. Full article

A protein mixture was prepared using a blend of soybean protein isolate, soybean protein concentrate, and wheat protein through high-moisture extrusion. This study investigated the effects of soybean oil/coconut oil additions (2%, 5%, and 8%) on the physiochemical properties of a soy protein–wheat protein mixture subjected to high-moisture extrusion. The protein extrudates underwent assessment for textural properties, fiber degree, sensory evaluation, microstructure, protein solubility, and protein secondary structure. The findings indicated that plant oils significantly reduced the hardness, springiness, and chewiness of the extrudates, and 5% plant oil significantly increased the fiber degree of the extrudates. In addition, the highest fiber degree and sensory evaluation score were achieved with 5% coconut oil. Observation of the macro- and microstructure indicated that the presence of unsaturated fatty acids in soybean oil did not benefit the improvement of the fibrous structure of protein extrudates during high-moisture extrusion processing. SDS-PAGE and FTIR results revealed that coconut oil, rich in saturated fatty acids, caused the clustering of medium- and low-molecular-weight subunits in texturized protein. Additionally, coconut oil elevated the ratio of 11S protein subunits containing sulfur-based amino acids and facilitated a shift from β-turn to β-sheet. The inclusion of plant oils increased the development of hydrogen and disulfide bonds, resulting in a denser, fibrous structure. DSC demonstrated that plant oils reduced the thermal stability of the texturized proteins but enhanced the order of protein structure. Full article

Brazil, the world’s largest soybean producer, owes its success to the cultivation of glyphosate-resistant (GR) cultivars. However, the soybean yields lag behind those obtained in areas managed for high productivity. Glyphosate-induced hormesis holds promise for increasing crop yields, but the potential evolution of resistance in certain weed species poses a challenge to foliar applications under field conditions. This study assessed the effects of a hormesis-inducing glyphosate dose [90 g acid equivalent (ae) ha⁻¹] on the agronomic characteristics and yield of four GR soybean cultivars. The evaluation was conducted in field settings across various Brazilian locations, considering foliar, seed, and seed + foliar treatments. The results showed variations in dry mass, root nodules, nutrient composition, plant height, pods, and yield, primarily influenced by environmental conditions, soil quality, and, ultimately, the interaction between GR cultivars and treatments. Total dry mass consistently increased with glyphosate, with seed and seed + foliar treatments showing the most substantial increases (7–21%). All three treatments increased nodulation by up to 36% across locations and cultivars, with seed + foliar treatment causing notable increases in nodule dry mass (up to 56%), followed by seed treatment (41%). Nutrient composition, especially for N, P, Br, and Fe, displayed location-dependent variations. Plant height varied among locations and cultivars, with minimal differences between treatments. Glyphosate treatments increased pod numbers (10 to 35%) and yields (11 to 42%) of soybean in seed and seed + foliar treatments. The findings highlight the potential of glyphosate hormesis as a viable tool for improving yields of GR soybean cultivars at the field level. However, the extent of benefits depends on the agronomic conditions of location, choice of cultivars, and herbicide application method. Full article

Considering the frequently large price fluctuations for soybean meal, an alternative is the increased use of locally produced high-protein ingredients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the total replacement of soybean meal with different sources of protein on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, serum parameters, rumen fermentation parameters, and bacterial communities in growing lambs. Sixty sheep with similar body weights (38.46 ± 0.71 kg) were distributed to one of five treatments: soybean meal (SBM); cottonseed meal (COM); peanut meal (PEM); rapeseed meal (RAM); and distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The experiment lasted 62 days with a 10-day adaptation period and a 52-day growing period. The results indicated that the body weight and average daily gain were not affected by different protein sources (p > 0.05), but the dry matter intake of the SBM group was lower than that of the other groups (p < 0.05); otherwise, the feed efficiency was higher (p < 0.05). The digestion of dry matter was higher in the SBM, COM, and RAM groups than in the DDGS and PEM groups (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, compared to the other groups, the SBM group had the highest digestion of gross energy and crude protein (p < 0.05). In addition, the concentration of glutathione peroxidase was highest in the SBM group (p < 0.05). Regarding the rumen fermentation, the SBM group had the highest concentration of NH₃-N (p < 0.05). The rumen bacterial community was not affected by treatments (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the total replacement of soybean meal with cottonseed, peanut, rapeseed, or DDGS reduced digestibility but did not impact the body weight or average daily gain of growing lambs and had no effect on the immune function and rumen bacterial community; thus, they can be used to substitute the soybean meal. Full article

We aimed to estimate the non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) requirements of Chinese Jing Tint 6 layer chicks. We randomly allocated 720 birds to five treatments with six cages of 24 birds each, feeding them a corn–soybean diet containing 0.36%, 0.41%, 0.46%, 0.51%, and 0.56% NNP. The results showed that the body weight gain (BWG), tibial length, and apparent total tract digestibility coefficients (ATTDC) of P were affected (p < 0.05) by dietary NPP level. A quadratic broken-line analysis (p < 0.05) of BWG indicated that the optimal NPP for birds aged 1–14 d was 0.411%. Similarly, 0.409% of NPP met tibial growth needs. However, 0.394% of NPP was optimal for P utilization according to the ATTDC criterion. For 15–42 d birds, 0.466% NPP, as estimated by the BWG criterion, was sufficient for optimal growth without decreasing P utilization. Using the factorial method, NPP requirements were calculated as 0.367% and 0.439%, based on the maintenance factors and BWG for 1–14 and 15–42 d birds, respectively, to maintain normal growth. Combining the non-linear model with the factorial method, this study recommends dietary NPP levels of 0.367% and 0.439% for 1–14 and 15–42 d birds, respectively, to optimize P utilization without affecting performance. Full article