Abstract
Fourteen soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) cultivars bred in Kyushu for cultivation in warm districts were grown in Miyazaki prefecture in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and their isoflavone contents were investigated. Total isoflavone contents ranged from 216 to 319 mg/100g DW in 2003, from 87 to 314 mg/100g DW in 2004, from 196 to 594 mg/100g DW in 2005. 'Fukuyutaka', the leading cultivar in Kyushu district, contained 199 mg/100g DW of total isoflavone (average of three years), which was low compared with other cultivars for warm districts. 'Akisengoku' contained 435 mg/100g DW of total isoflavone (average of three years), and it may be useful as a high isoflavone content cultivar for warm district. The proportion of daidzein, genistein and glycitein (aglycone equivalent) to total aglycone were in the range of 23.8-44.4%, 41.2-71.5% and 4.7-18.9%, respectively. The ratio of the content of daidzein to that of daidzein plus genistein (D/DG ratio) ranged from 25.0 to 51.9%, showing a wide variation among cultivars.
