In a recent research project, Katy Martin Rainey, associate professor of agronomy and director of the Purdue Soybean Center, modified water-soluble carbohydrates in soybean meal.
Rainey collaborated on the project with USDA-ARS research molecular biologist Karen Hudson.
Most of soybean’s genes have duplicates, so when researchers block one gene along the biosynthetic pathway, the duplicated gene covers for it, Hudson explains.
“What soybeans have going for them is that they are widely planted with well-established markets and distribution and processing systems,” says Jayson Lusk, distinguished professor and department head of agricultural economics.
Investors have directed significant capital to plant-based meat in recent years, Lusk adds, resulting in a number of new start-ups and brands.
“You can have higher protein, different types of protein with different processing characteristics, and various fatty acid profiles — whether oil high oleic or low linoleic.
In collaboration with Keith Cherkauer, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, Rainey uses unmanned aircraft system -based methods to gather data from experimental plots.
Rainey’s research is an example of phenotyping at scale, says Bernie Engel, senior associate dean and director for agricultural research and graduate education.
This sort of information can help guide breeding programs that aim to generate products for which farmers can command a premium,” he explains.
Industry needs to overcome obstacles to tap the full potential of plant-based protein in the soy value chain, Rainey says.
In a small town in rural Colombia, Diana Escamilla Sanchez’s grandfather raised coffee, oranges, plantains, bananas and corn.
Instead of relying solely on nitrogen in the soil, soybeans and many other legumes can pull nitrogen from the air for their growth – a natural process that is environmentally friendly and also increases soil nitrogen levels for the next crop in rotation.
Her childhood on the farm made Escamilla aware of the difficulties small farmers faced in Colombia when marketing their goods.
Plant science research at Purdue University has found a potential way to double soybean plants’ use of the process, called biological nitrogen fixation.