Genome editing generates high oleic soybean and eliminates beany flavors

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Biotechnology
• Food Science

Background:

• Soybeans are vital for oil, protein, and industrial materials.
• Consumer preference is limited by low oleic acid and undesirable flavors in soy products.
• Oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids causes grassy and beany flavors in soybeans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop soybean cultivars with elevated oleic acid levels.
• To eliminate grassy and beany flavors in soybean seeds.
• To assess the agronomic performance of gene-edited soybean plants.

Main Methods:

• Utilized CRISPR-Cas-SF01 gene editing technology.
• Targeted microsomal Δ-12 fatty acid desaturase 2 (GmFAD2-1A and GmFAD2-1B) genes.
• Targeted three lipoxygenase (GmLOX1, GmLOX2, and GmLOX3) genes in the Xudou 18 cultivar.

Main Results:

• Developed soybean cultivars with significantly higher oleic acid content.
• Successfully removed undesirable grassy and beany flavors from soybean seeds.
• Gene-edited plants (fad2-1a/b and fad2-1a/b/lox1/2/3) exhibited field performance comparable to the elite Xudou 18 cultivar.
• No discernible growth penalties were observed in the modified soybean plants.

Conclusions:

• Gene editing is an effective strategy for developing improved soybean germplasms.
• High oleic acid soybeans without undesirable flavors can be created through multi-gene editing.
• This advancement holds potential for improving global consumer health and product acceptance.