Location: Bio-oils Research
2018 Annual Report
Objectives
Develop cutting-edge analytical standards to provide a platform for essential activities to support soybean composition improvement in the U.S., including amino acids, fatty acids, protein, oil, and other important constituents.
Approach
Using new wet chemical methods, improved near infrared calibrations will be performed and compared to calibrations by other NIR users. A wider range of soybean composition will be worked into the calibration. Soxhlet and nitrogen analyses from newly obtained equipment will be used in the calibration. Carbohydrate analyses will be performed on a large number of soybean samples and added to the current calibration.
Progress Report
This is a report for Project 5010-43000-008-00D.
ARS scientists in Peoria, Illinois, conducted 5,800 near-infrared (NIR) analyses for protein, oil, and moisture content for Regional Uniform Testing of Soybeans. Created reports and collated data from a carbon and nitrogen analyzer as well as a near infrared grain analyzer to coordinate a calibration that meets the evolving soybean genome for more accurate protein percentages. In collaboration with ARS scientists in West Lafayette, Indiana, provided analysis of corn and soybean for protein and oil with respect to nutrients during field production. This research effort supports all ARS soybean breeders participating in the coordinated analysis of soybean germplasm development program which results in improved soybean varieties with increased disease resistance and improvements in quality traits like seed yield, oil content and nutritional meal value.
Accomplishments
1. Compositional analysis of soybeans. ARS soybean breeders are developing soybean varieties with improved traits for disease resistance and improved oil and protein quality. During these breeding efforts, chemical confirmation of trait improvements or preservation of desired chemical profiles is necessary. In this effort to confirm chemical trait improvement, 5,800 ARS samples submitted by soybean breeders have been analyzed by ARS scientists in Peoria, Illinois, and the results reported to the respective breeders. The soybean breeding community collectively improved the quality of soybean, using the compositional data provided by the research team.
