Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans.
This article describes the nutrient and elemental composition, including residues of herbicides and pesticides, of 31 soybean batches from Iowa, USA. The soy samples were grouped into three different categories: (i) genetically modified, glyphosate-tolerant soy (GM-soy); (ii) unmodified soy cultivated using a conventional "chemical" cultivation regime; and (iii) unmodified soy cultivated using an organic cultivation regime. Organic soybeans showed the healthiest nutritional profile with more sugars, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose, significantly more total protein, zinc and less fibre than both conventional and GM-soy. Organic soybeans also contained less total saturated fat and total omega-6 fatty acids than both conventional and GM-soy. GM-soy contained high residues of glyphosate and AMPA (mean 3.3 and 5.7 mg/kg, respectively). Conventional and organic soybean batches contained none of these agrochemicals. Using 35 different nutritional and elemental variables to characterise each soy sample, we were able to discriminate GM, conventional and organic soybeans without exception, demonstrating "substantial non-equivalence" in compositional characteristics for 'ready-to-market' soybeans.
GenØk, Centre for Biosafety, P.O. Box 6418, 9294 Tromsø, Norway; Faculty of Health Sciences, UIT The Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: thomas.bohn@genok.no.
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Bøhn
GenØk, Centre for Biosafety, P.O. Box 6418, 9294 Tromsø, Norway; Faculty of Health Sciences, UIT The Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway.
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Cuhra
GenØk, Centre for Biosafety, P.O. Box 6418, 9294 Tromsø, Norway; Faculty of Health Sciences, UIT The Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway.
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Traavik
National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, NIFES, P.O. Box 2029, 5817 Bergen, Norway.
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Sanden
Earth Open Source, 2nd Floor 145-157, St. John Street, London EC1V 4PY, United Kingdom.
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Fagan
Faculty of Health Sciences, UIT The Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway.
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Primicerio
D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified / Q000191:economics; D058870:Food, Organic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D005998:Glycine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D006540:Herbicides / Q000032:analysis*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D030262:Soybean Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D013025:Glycine max / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000191:economics / Q000235:genetics; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis; D000097797:Glyphosate
D002241:Carbohydrates; D005998:Glycine; D006540:Herbicides; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D030262:Soybean Proteins; D015032:Zinc; D000097797:Glyphosate
Agricultural practice; GMO; Herbicide residues; Nutrition; Pesticides; Substantial equivalence