Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 153; pp. 207 - 215
• Main Authors: Bøhn, T., Cuhra, M., Traavik, T., Sanden, M., Fagan, J., Primicerio, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.06.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agricultural practice; Agricultural technology: 916; Agriculture and fishery disciplines: 900; Agriculture disciplines: 910; Akvakultur: 922; Animal feeding: 918; Aquaculture: 922; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology: 590; Bioteknologi: 590; Carbohydrates - analysis; Ecotoxicology: 489; Fish health: 923; Fisheries science: 920; Fiskehelse: 923; Fiskerifag: 920; Food science and technology: 600; Food, Genetically Modified - economics; Food, Organic - analysis; Food, Organic - economics; Fôring: 918; Glycine - analogs & derivatives; Glycine - analysis; Glycine max - chemistry; Glycine max - economics; Glycine max - genetics; Glyphosate; GMO; Herbicide residues; Herbicides - analysis; Landbruks- og Fiskerifag: 900; Landbruksfag: 910; Landbruksteknologi: 916; Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400; Mathematics and natural science: 400; Medical sciences; Nutrition; Nutrition Assessment; Næringsmiddelteknologi: 600; Pesticide Residues - analysis; Pesticides; Pesticides, fertilizers and other agrochemicals toxicology; Plants, Genetically Modified - chemistry; Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics; Soybean Proteins - analysis; Substantial equivalence; Technology: 500; Teknologi: 500; Toxicology; VDP; Zinc - analysis; Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480; Zoology and botany: 480; Økotoksikologi: 489; Agricultural practice; GMO; Herbicide residues; Nutrition; Substantial equivalence; Pesticides; Soybean; Glyphosate; Herbicide; Feeding; Grain legume; Residue; Aminoacid; Agriculture; Transgenic plant
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.054

•Glyphosate tolerant GM soybeans contain high residues of glyphosate and AMPA.•Soybeans from different agricultural practices differ in nutritional quality.•Organic soybeans showed a more healthy nutritional profile than other soybeans.•Organic soy contained more sugars, protein and zinc, but less fibre and omega-6.•This study rejects that GM soy is “substantially equivalent” to non-GM soybeans. This article describes the nutrient and elemental composition, including residues of herbicides and pesticides, of 31 soybean batches from Iowa, USA. The soy samples were grouped into three different categories: (i) genetically modified, glyphosate-tolerant soy (GM-soy); (ii) unmodified soy cultivated using a conventional “chemical” cultivation regime; and (iii) unmodified soy cultivated using an organic cultivation regime. Organic soybeans showed the healthiest nutritional profile with more sugars, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose, significantly more total protein, zinc and less fibre than both conventional and GM-soy. Organic soybeans also contained less total saturated fat and total omega-6 fatty acids than both conventional and GM-soy. GM-soy contained high residues of glyphosate and AMPA (mean 3.3 and 5.7mg/kg, respectively). Conventional and organic soybean batches contained none of these agrochemicals. Using 35 different nutritional and elemental variables to characterise each soy sample, we were able to discriminate GM, conventional and organic soybeans without exception, demonstrating “substantial non-equivalence” in compositional characteristics for ‘ready-to-market’ soybeans.