Correlations of seed traits with tofu texture in 48 soybean cultivars and breeding lines

Abstract

Food‐grade soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr] used to produce tofu have specific seed composition, shape, size and colour requirements. Seed qualities, such as protein content, have been correlated with tofu texture. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between textural qualities of tofu and seed characters, including shape, size, density, weight, protein content and oil content. Tofu was produced from the seed of 48 high‐protein or food‐grade soybean lines grown at two locations in 2010. Four tofu textural traits were assessed including work to failure, deformability, stiffness and hardness. Seed protein and oil content were significantly correlated with stiffness and hardness, and protein was additionally correlated with work to failure. Pearson's correlation coefficients ranged from 0.45 to 0.60 (adjusted P‐values < 0.002) for protein and −0.49 to −0.35 for oil (adjusted P‐values < 0.016). No significant correlations between tofu texture and seed volume or shape were detected. Seed protein content can be assessed for indirect selection for tofu firmness, whereas this study reveals no evidence that seed size affects tofu texture.

Protein and quality analyses of accessions from the USDA soybean germplasm collection for tofu production

“…The result was in agreement with a recent study of Huang et al (2014), in which protein content was significantly correlated (r ranged from 0.45 to 0.6, P < 0.002) with the texture of tofu made from 48 soybean cultivars. This result further confirmed the importance of high protein content for tofu making.…”

Analysis of tofu‐related traits by a bench‐scale tofu production method and their relationship with agronomic traits in European soybean

“…Huang et al. () investigated the correlation among seed size and tofu texture traits in more detail using seed volume and shape to measure seed size but found no correlation between those seed size traits and tofu texture. Thus, the relationship between seed size and tofu quality remains elusive and may depend on the investigated soybean material.…”

“…Soybean bred for human consumption should have a good agronomic performance, but must also be suited for tofu production. Available studies investigated either factors affecting tofu traits (Huang, Kaletunc, St. Martin, Feller, & Mchale, ; Jaureguy et al., ; Mujoo, Trinh, & Ng, ) or agronomic traits of food‐grade genotypes (Rao, Bhagsari, & Mohamed, ; Rao et al., ); however, so far no study exists that investigates both agronomic and tofu traits and their relationship. The main prerequisite for the development of new tofu cultivars is to understand the genetic and environmental impact as well as the correlations among traits that determine soymilk and tofu properties.…”

Evaluation of the genetic architecture of tofu traits in soybean towards genomics‐assisted breeding

“…Besides these tofu‐related traits, we also investigated the seed quality traits, protein content and thousand‐kernel‐weight. Both are often stated to be important for tofu production and associated with tofu yield and quality, even though the reported results are inconsistent (Aziadekey, Schapaugh, & Herald, ; Bhardwaj et al., ; Huang, Kaletunc, St. Martin, Feller, & Mchale, ; Kurasch et al., ; Lim, DeMan, DeMan, & Buzzell, ). Soaking of soybean seeds is the initial step in the tofu production with the aim to soften the beans for the following grinding with water, which results in soymilk.…”