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Soybean and Human Nutrition
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Soybean and Human Nutrition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2026 | Viewed by 1176

Editors

Prof. Dr. Huanyu Zheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
2. Heilongjiang Green Food Science Research Institute, Harbin 150028, China
Interests: soybean processing; protein; nanoemulsions; soybean based film; antioxidation; hydrogenated oil
Prof. Dr. Yang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Interests: food; plant-based foods; proteins; food processing; conformation properties; functional properties; healthy benefits
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Foods is dedicated to processing, bioactivity, and health in the context of soybean and human nutrition. Soy is a cornerstone of sustainable diets, valued not only for its high-quality protein and balanced amino acid profile but also for its rich spectrum of bioactive components. The transformation of soy into health-promoting foods is critically dependent on processing, which unlocks its nutritional potential, while mitigating existing anti-nutritional factors and improving palatability. This Special Issue seeks to compile cutting-edge research that bridges food science and nutritional physiology, focusing on how processing innovations—from traditional fermentation to novel technologies—can enhance the functionality, safety, and acceptance of soy-based foods for human health.

We welcome original research articles and reviews that provide novel insights and robust evidence. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  1. Effects of processing on soybean nutritional properties and functionality.
  2. Health benefits of soybean bioactive components.
  3. Soybean’s protein digestibility, amino acid bioavailability, and role in muscle and metabolic health.
  4. Impact of soybean components on gut health.
  5. Soybean consumption and metabolic health.
  6. Influence of processing and storage on the oxidative stability and shelf-life of soy products.
  7. Reduction in or elimination of anti-nutritional factors (e.g., trypsin inhibitors, phytates, allergens) in soybean products.
  8. Novel food development: Design, formulation, and sensory optimization of innovative soy-based foods and ingredients (e.g., meat/dairy analogues, functional ingredients).

Prof. Dr. Huanyu Zheng
Prof. Dr. Yang Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soybean
  • nutrition
  • food processing
  • protein
  • health
  • trypsin inhibitors
  • phytates
  • allergens
  • bioactive components
  • lecithin
  • soybean isoflavones

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 11767 KB  
Article
Comprehensive Evaluation of Agronomic Traits and Nutritional Composition in Summer-Sown Vegetable Soybean Varieties from Shanghai, China
by Biting Cao, Lihua Zhu, Jiaqi You, Yuan Yuan, Weihong Gu, Hongjuan Yang, Duo Lv, Qingzhu Li and Chaohan Li
Foods 2026, 15(13), 2382; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15132382 - 3 Jul 2026
Abstract
Shanghai-native vegetable soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merril) landraces are valuable germplasms, but their systematic evaluation for agronomic and nutritional traits remains insufficient. This study aimed to assess their phenotypic and nutritional diversity to explore their potential for breeding and meeting dietary needs. [...] Read more.
Shanghai-native vegetable soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merril) landraces are valuable germplasms, but their systematic evaluation for agronomic and nutritional traits remains insufficient. This study aimed to assess their phenotypic and nutritional diversity to explore their potential for breeding and meeting dietary needs. Twenty-nine local landraces and one control cultivar (‘Qingsu 7’) were evaluated for key agronomic traits, yield components, nutritional traits, and isoflavone profiles, using hierarchical clustering, principal component analysis (PCA), and correlation analysis. Substantial phenotypic diversity was found, with the germplasm classified into four groups. First pod height and effective pods per plant were highly variable. Nutritional traits showed low variability for crude protein but high diversity for crude fat, soluble sugars (dominated by sucrose), vitamin C, and free amino acids. Total isoflavone content in dry seeds varied widely, with genistin, daidzin, and daidzein as the main forms. ‘Xiangshui Maodou’ had high free amino acids and vitamin C, ‘Heiyan Susudou’ showed superior soluble sugar content, and two landraces exceeded 1500 μg/g DW total isoflavones. The landraces possess rich phenotypic diversity and nutritional diversity. This germplasm represents a valuable resource for breeding programs to enhance crop quality and address global nutritional demands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soybean and Human Nutrition)
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20 pages, 1793 KB  
Article
From Charcuterie to Plant-Based: Harnessing Penicillium nalgiovense for Innovative Soybean Co-Culture Fermentation
by Xin Hui Chin, Ryan Soh, Geraldine Chan, Pnelope Ng, Aaron Thong, Hosam Elhalis, Yoganathan Kanagasundaram, Yvonne Chow and Shao Quan Liu
Foods 2026, 15(6), 1053; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15061053 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 736
Abstract
Improving the flavour of soybean-based ingredients remains challenging as soybeans naturally contain compounds that generate green and beany notes. This study evaluated how the surface-growing food-grade fungus Penicillium nalgiovense (PN), alone and together with selected yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, alters the chemistry [...] Read more.
Improving the flavour of soybean-based ingredients remains challenging as soybeans naturally contain compounds that generate green and beany notes. This study evaluated how the surface-growing food-grade fungus Penicillium nalgiovense (PN), alone and together with selected yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, alters the chemistry and sensory attributes of soybeans during solid-state fermentation. PN showed strong proteolytic activity in the monoculture fermentation, producing the highest accumulation of free amino acids (1324 mg/100 g), while its combination with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP) further increased this to 1487 mg/100 g due to acid-assisted protease action. Sugar and organic acid profiles reflected distinct metabolic roles among the strains; for example, PNLP and PN-Debaryomyces hansenii (DH) depleted sucrose and glucose completely by 72 h, whereas DH retained substantial sucrose. Fermentation also altered the lipid profiles, where PN-Kluyveromyces marxianus (KM) showed the highest increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids, with linoleic and α-linolenic acid increasing more than twofold and threefold, respectively. Volatile analysis showed a significant decrease in hexanal (from 18.3 µg/g in control to <2.0 µg/g post fermentation) and an increase in esters, floral alcohols, and savoury compounds depending on the microbial pairing. Electronic tongue profiling showed that PN-fermented samples produced the strongest savoury taste signals. Overall, the work highlights how specific PN-yeast or PN-LAB combinations can be used to modulate flavour development in fermented soy-based substrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soybean and Human Nutrition)
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