Evaluation of Selected Edamame Cultivars for Isoflavone Content, Organoleptic Characteristics, and Production in Central Alabama

Abstract

Edamame [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is vegetable soybean harvested and consumed at the R6 development stage. The growing popularity of edamame as a healthy snack food has led to increased interest in edamame production from soybean producers across the southeast. Little is known about edamame production methods or the commercially available cultivars currently on the market. As a result, four studies were conducted to evaluate edamame cultivars both in terms of production as well as isoflavone content and organoleptic characteristics. Thus the objectives of these studies were to 1) evaluate selected commercially available edamame cultivars for use in large scale production; 2) determine the isoflavone content of each of the cultivars evaluated for production in the southeast; 3) evaluate consumer preference and the sensory attributes of selected cultivars that showed promise for commercial production; and 4) evaluate the response of selected edamame cultivars to incremental increases in potassium fertilizer rates. Data collected in these studies resulted in new understanding of selected cultivars to include yield and yield components, isoflavone content and distribution, cultivar preference by consumers, and potassium fertility recommendations. The results of the four studies provide growers, retailers, consumers, and packagers with useful, previously unavailable data on many of the most widely available commercial edamame cultivars on the market in the United States. Using this data, interested parties can make production decisions based on current information covering many aspects of edamame and its production.