Abstract
As green soybeans, immature seeds of Glycine max (L.) Merr., are usually harvested during summer, their quality rapidly deteriorates after harvest. We determined several quality attributes of postharvest green soybeans stored at various temperatures with short intervals and the effects of configuration (with or without leaves and stems) in ‘Hukura’ and ‘Yuagari-musume’. In both cultivars, green soybeans stored at 15°C or higher showed a 20% or greater decrease in total sugars and free amino acids only 3 h and 6 h after harvest respectively, compared with levels at harvest. Storage temperatures at 10°C or lower were effective in preserving the appearance of pods and resulted in an 80% or greater retention of the level at harvest of total sugars and free amino acids even after 10 h and 24 h storage, respectively. Storing green soybeans with leaves and stems at room temperature had a slightly beneficial effect on the retention of quality attributes; however, the effects of the storage temperature were much more marked than those of the configuration. These results indicate that cooling at 10°C or lower within 3 h after harvest is important for the quality control of green soybeans.
