Soybean plays a critical role in the global food supply, accounting for roughly two-thirds of plant-based protein meal output worldwide through its use in animal feed and human consumption. Canada is a global leader in sustainable soybean production, with 70% of its crop, one of the country's top three crops by value, exported annually.

As soybean production has expanded in recent decades to meet growing demand, researchers say protein content has not increased at the same pace. Brazilian scientist Gabriel Montanha, a postdoctoral fellow at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, is investigating ways to increase soybean protein content without expanding the amount of land used for production.

Montanha and colleagues used the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan and Brazil's National Synchrotron Light Laboratory to study whether the mineral content of soybean seeds could influence their nutritional value.

Using synchrotron imaging, the researchers examined the location of proteins and minerals inside four types of soybean seeds. Their findings indicated that certain minerals may play an important role in protein formation.

The researchers found that soybean genotypes with higher protein content also had higher levels of zinc and sulfur. Montanha completed the research as part of his PhD with collaborators at the University of São Paulo in Brazil and Sapienza University of Rome in Italy.

The findings were published in ACS Agricultural Science & Technology and featured on the cover of the journal's current issue.

Montanha said the imaging conducted at the Canadian Light Source and National Synchrotron Light Laboratory was important to understanding how nutrients contribute to plant physiology.

The researchers are now working on fertilization techniques designed to ensure soybean seeds have access to sulfur and zinc at key stages of development. The approach could help increase protein content while improving the nutritional value of soybean crops without requiring additional cropland.

Source: Canadian Light Source, "Boosting soybean protein: The essential role of zinc and sulphur in sustainable crop production"