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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #73354
Title: OCCURRENCE OF PINITOL IN DEVELOPING SOYBEAN SEED TISSUES

Author
item KUO, TSUNG MIN
item LOWELL, CADANCE - CENTRAL ST U,WILBERFORCE
item NELSEN, TERRY

Submitted to: Phytochemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/5/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Mature soybean seeds contain indigestible sugars that can prevent farm animals from using more energy and nutrients in the soymeal used as animal feeds. To solve this problem we have studied soybean seeds during development to identify key factors that may control the formation of these sugars. In this study we found that a couple of small carbohydrates accumulated in young soybean seed tissues. These small carbohydrates are structurally related to the indigestible sugars. As seeds grew older, the content of small molecules decreased whereas the amount of indigestible sugars increased in the seed tissues. The results suggest that these small molecules may be directly related to the formation of indigestible sugars. The basic information obtained in this study should be valuable to scientists in future research as directed to reduce the formation of indigestible sugars in soybean seeds.

Technical Abstract: Pinitol (1D-3O-methyl-chiro-inositol) was found to be a major cyclitol present in developing soybean (Glycine max) seed tissues. Pinitol was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography and confirmed by gas liquid chromatography and mass spectra identical with authentic pinitol. Changes in the concentration of pinitol were compared to those of myo-inositol, starch and raffinose saccharides in seed coats, cotyledons and embryonic axes of field-grown soybeans during seed development. In all three tissues as seeds were progressing toward maturity, there were strong correlations between the decrease of myo-inositol and starch and the increase of raffinose saccharides. Pinitol also had a strong negative correlation with raffinose saccharides in both seed coats and axes, but this correlation was insignificant in cotyledons. Pinitol concentration in all tissues fluctuated more than other components during seed development, and it sharply decreased as axes turned yellow and rapidly accumulated large amounts of raffinose saccharides. The results suggest that pinitol may represent a transient component of the carbon pool in soybean seed tissues during development toward physiological maturity.