Hypoallergenic soybean, from genes to cultivar

Abstract

Soybean is one of the most important sources of edible vegetable oil and protein. However, soybean is considered as an allergenic food, particularly in western countries. At least 16 IgE-reactive proteins have been identified in soybean, among which Gly m Bd 30K, Gly m Bd 28K and Gly m Bd 60K appeared to be major allergens. These allergens account for less than 1% of total soybean protein. Soybean germplasm selection, breeding and genetic modification have been applied to develop soybean with low- or non-allergenicity. This chapter addresses the characterization of soybean allergens and possible approaches towards developing hypoallergenic soybean cultivars.