2023
Improving soy protein flavor and expanding market access by removing saponins
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Contributor/Checkoff:
United Soybean Board
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Soy mealSoy protein
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Wolfgang Goettel, Benson Hill Seeds
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
23-203-S-E-1-B
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
United Soybean Board
$244,050
Institution Funded:
Benson Hill, Inc.
$244,050
Brief Project Summary:
Benson Hill aims to create products that are ‘Made From Better’, delivering ingredients that are healthier and more sustainably produced. Currently, soybean meal for plant-based protein or aquaculture applications is processed into concentrate or isolate to remove secondary compounds that are anti-nutritional, including saponins and isoflavones. Saponins are a family of bitter tasting secondary metabolites that are undesirable in human food applications, and they are also a causative agent of digestive distress in aquaculture-raised fish such as salmon. Our goal is to use crop genetics to remove the key enzymes that produce saponins to eliminate the necessity of water- and energy-intensive processing steps for soybean meal.
Information And Results
Project Summary

Project Objectives

Project Deliverables

Progress Of Work

Final Project Results

Saponins are a family of bitter tasting secondary metabolites that are also a causative agent of digestive distress in aquaculture-raised fish such as salmon. Previously, we have generated BE and non-BE low saponin traits through gene-editing and chemical mutagenesis, respectively. Here, we established a highly sensitive method to quantify saponin levels, which allowed us to confirm our low saponin traits. We started introgressing our low-saponin trait into high-protein, low-oligosaccharide germplasm to increase the value of the low-saponin trait. Currently, our conversions are at backcross 2. In addition, we have conducted sensory testing of the low-saponin trait in the form of a heated 10% soy slurry to evaluate our low-saponin soybean in food applications. The low-saponin trait had no significant effect on bitterness which did not meet our expectations. Next, we will complete introgression of the low-saponin trait, simultaneously increase seed for efficacy and equivalency studies, and conduct fish feeding trials for aquaculture application.

Benefit To Soybean Farmers

The low-saponin, high-protein, low-oligosaccharide soybean cultivars will allow U.S. soybean farmers to access growing high-quality, high-value BE and non-BE aquaculture markets.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.