The oligosaccharides, raffinose and stachyose, have been implicated as causative factors for the flatulence and uncomfortable feeling often experienced after consuming products containing soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] meal. Soybeans are primarily grown for their oil and protein content. Their value might be enhanced, however, if the oil and protein content remained high and the oligosaccharide content were lowered to make them more acceptable for human consumption. Seeds of 60 selected lines from Maturity Groups 00 through IV were analyzed for protein, oil, total sugar, and individual sugar content. The ranges in values for oil, protein, total sugar, sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose were 14.5 to 23.0, 33.1 to 49.2, 5.6 to 10.9, 2.5 to 8.2, 0.1 to 0.9, and 1.4 to 4.1 g per 100 g seed respectively. Simple correlation analysis revealed that total sugar content and oil content in soybean seeds are positively associated, and each was negatively correlated with protein content. Sucrose and raffinose content were positively correlated with oil content, while stachyose content was positively associated with protein. Even though the correlation between certain sugars and oil or protein was statistically significant, considerable variation in total sugar content was not explained by the coefficient of determination (r2).

Objectives in this study were to measure total sugar and individual sugar content in whole, mature, soybeans of certain strains and to determine the stability of these components in strains grown over a wide geographical area. Soybean seed of three selected strains from each Maturity Group in the 1970 Uniform Tests--Northern States were analyzed for total sugar, sucrose, raffinose and stachyose content. For Maturity Groups 00, 0, I, II, III and IV there were 10, 12, 23, 33, 27 and 24 locations, respectively. The locations were in 17 states and 2 Canadian provinces. The average content of total sugar, sucrose, raffinose and stachyose was 9.36, 5.96, 0.75 and 2.65 g per 100 g seed, respectively. Analysis of variance of total sugar content and individual sugars among the three strains within each Maturity Group revealed significant differences (P<.01) in total sugar among strains in Maturity Groups II and III but not in the other four Maturity Groups. Except for strains within Maturity Group IV, there were significant differences (P<.01 or P<.05) among the strains within each Maturity Group for sucrose, raffinose and stachyose. Few significant environmental index (linear) x strain interactions were observed for total sugar content or for any of the individual sugars.form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including xerography, photocopying, microfilm, and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

The interaction of intestinal flora with low molecular weight carbohydrates, especially raffinose and stachyose, has been shown to be the primary factor for the flatulence and uncomfortable feeling often experienced by human beings after consuming products containing legume seed meal. There is conflicting evidence, however, concerning the gas‐producing properties of the peanut Arachis hypogaea L.Seed of 16 cultivars of peanuts were analyzed for protein, oil, total sugar, and individual sugar content. The range in values for protein, oil, total sugar, and sucrose were 27.2 to 33.2, 45.5 to 51.5, 3.2 to 6.4, and 2.7 to 5.6 g per 100 g seed, respectively. Except for ‘Virginia 56R’ and ‘Florigiant,’ the cultivars had raffinose contents of 0.1 g or less per 100 g seed. The cultivars ‘Argentine,’ ‘Early Runner,’ ‘Spancross,’ ‘Tifspan,’ and ‘Virginia Bunch 67’ had stachyose contents of less than 0.1 g per 100 g seed. Based on chemical analyses, these cultivars may be nongas producers. Florigiant, ‘Florunner,’ ‘N.C. 2,’ ‘N.C. 5,’ ‘N.C. 17,’ ‘Starr,’ Virginia 56R, and ‘Virginia 61R’ with 0.4 or 0.5 g stachyose per 100 g seed may be gas producers.