Author(s)

Gabriela Rezende Costa¹, Nilton de Oliveira Couto e Silva², José Marcos Gontijo Mandarino³, Rodrigo Santos Leite³, Nilson César Castanheira Guimarães⁴, Roberto Gonçalves Junqueira¹, Renata Adriana Labanca^1*

¹Postgraduate Program in Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
²Laboratory of Metal Contaminants (LCM), Division of Health and Environmental Surveillance (DIVISA), Octavio Magalhães Institute (IOM), Fundação Ezequiel Dias (FUNED), Rua Conde Pereira Carneiro, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
³Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation-Embrapa Soja, Londrina, Brazil.
⁴National Agricultural Laboratory/LANAGRO-Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply/MAPA, Pedro Leopoldo, Brazil.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in composition among six brands of conventional soybean and six genetically modified cultivars (GM). We focused on the isoflavones profile and mineral content questioning the substantial equivalence between conventional and GM organisms. The statement of compliance label for conventional grains was verified for the presence of genetic modified genes by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We did not detect the presence of the 35S promoter in commercial samples, indicating the absence of transgene insertion. For mineral analysis, we used the method of inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Isoflavones quantification was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed no statistical difference between the conventional and transgenic soybean groups concerning isoflavone content and mineral composition. The concentration of potassium, the main mineral component of soy, was the highest in conventional soybeans compared to that in GM soy, while GM samples presented the highest concentrations of iron.

Glycine max, Genetically Modified Organism, Bioactive Compounds, ICP-OES, HPLC

Rezende Costa, G. , Couto e Silva, N. , Gontijo Mandarino, J. , Leite, R. , Castanheira Guimarães, N. , Junqueira, R. and Adriana Labanca, R. (2015) Isoflavone and Mineral Content in Conventional and Transgenic Soybean Cultivars. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 6, 2051-2059. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2015.613205.