Black soybeans are valued for their rich nutritional content and potential health benefits, attributed to their functional components that enhance antioxidant activity. In this study, we evaluate and compare the isoflavone and anthocyanin content, as well as the antioxidant potential, of seven Korean black soybean genotypes. Isoflavone content ranged from 2,032.8 to 3,536.8 µg/g, with Soman displaying the highest levels of both aglycones and glucosides, indicating notable bioactive potential. In terms of anthocyanins, Danheuk had the highest total content (24,080.6 µg/g), while Soman excelled in Pelargonidin-3- glucoside (Pg3glc). Soman also showed superior antioxidant activity across all measures, including total polyphenol, flavonoid content, as well as radical scavenging abilities (ABTS and DPPH). Strong correlations were found between total flavonoid content, total polyphenol content, genistin, total isoflavone content and antioxidant activity, while correlations with total anthocyanins were relatively weaker. These findings reveal significant genetic variability in isoflavone and anthocyanin content among soybean genotypes, with Soman showing particularly high antioxidant potential, suggesting its value for health-related applications and soybean breeding programs.

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• Health benefits of Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and other supporting natural compounds in black soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill): A narrative review
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  Journal of Functional Foods.2026; 140: 107285.     CrossRef
• Enhanced Antitumor Activity of Korean Black Soybean Cultivar ‘Soman’ by Targeting STAT-Mediated Aerobic Glycolysis
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Several environmental and genetic factors affect the isoflavone and anthocyanin contents in soybeans. This study aimed to assess the influences of cotyledon color and harvest period on the contents of five major isoflavones and three major anthocyanins in 323 black soybean landraces grown in Korea. In all the soybeans, malonylgenistin, malonyldaidzin and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside were the foremost components. The total isoflavone (TIC) and total anthocyanin (TAC) contents were in the ranges of 491.29-1998.39 µg/g and 452.60-2789.37 mg/100 g on dry weight basis, respectively. Both the average TIC and TAC were higher in green cotyledon soybeans (1493.93 µg/g and 1656.05 mg/100 g, respectively) than in yellow cotyledon soybeans (1423.09 µg/g and 1489.30 mg/100 g, respectively). With respect to the harvest period, the average TIC was in the order of Late-October (1517.31 µg/g) > Mid-October (1454.54 µg/g) > Early-October (1340.95 mg/g). Moreover, the average TAC decreased in the order of Late-October (1765.76 mg/100 g) > Mid-October (1503.93 mg/100 g) > Early-October (1350.91 mg/100 g). In general, cotyledon color appeared to cause a significant variation on TAC (P < 0.05) but not on TIC, whereas the harvest period appeared to cause significant variations on both the TAC and TIC. Among the 323 landraces, 20 were identified to contain high TIC (> 1800 mg/g) and TAC (> 2000 mg/100 g) in their seeds and hence, could be considered as important sources of dietary isoflavones and anthocyanins. Besides, they possibly provide a wide spectrum of options if considered during the development of improved soybean genotypes.

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• RDA-Genebank and Digital Phenotyping for Next-Generation Research on Plant Genetic Resources
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• Improvement of Selection Efficiency of Haploid Maize Seeds Using Fluorescence Imaging
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• Origin and seed coat color differently affect the concentrations of metabolites and antioxidant activities in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) seeds
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  Food Chemistry.2022; 381: 132249.     CrossRef
• A Correlation Study on In Vitro Physiological Activities of Soybean Cultivars, 19 Individual Isoflavone Derivatives, and Genetic Characteristics
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