Identity preserved soybeans refer to the system of preserving the quality and identity of soybeans from seed to harvest to delivery. Suppliers of IP soybeans typically contract for the production of seed-variety specific soybeans and work directly with seed suppliers, farmers, independent certification agencies, intermediate processors, and freight companies. The goal is to deliver the preferred product within very tight tolerances, complete with sufficient documentation to trace the soybean back to the farm and seed supplier.

Many superior IP soybeans have unique value-added quality traits such as high protein, low saturated fat, high digestible sugar, high isoflavone or improved texture and flavor. Breeders continue to work with food scientists on improving important nutraceutical characteristics and combining specific quality traits into specialty IP soybeans for functional soyfoods.

IP soybeans are used primarily for human consumption in a variety of non-fermented food products including tofu (bean curd), yuba (soy protein extracts from soy milk), kinako (roasted soy powder), nimane (cooked beans), edamame (vegetable soybean), bean sprouts and soymilk. IP soybeans are
also part of fermented food products including soy sauce, natto, miso, tempeh (Indonesia), thau-nao (Thailand), chongkuk-jang (Korea), dou-chi and doufuru (China), and kinema (Nepal, Bhutan,
India).

Technical Aspects of Identity-Preserved Systems for Soybeans in the United States

Chapter 1: The IP Process
By Dennis Thompson, Ph.D. and Doug Miller, M.S.,Illinois Crop Improvement Association

Chapter 2: Quality and Grading Factors of IP Soybeans
By Thomas J. Brumm, Ph.D. Iowa State University

Chapter 3: Developing High-Quality Identity-Preserved Soybeans for the Specialty Soyfood Market
By Pengyin Chen, Ph.D., University of Arkansas

Chapter 5: Composition of Identity-Preserved Soybeans
Keshun LIu, Ph.D., University of Missouri

Glossary of Terms and Acronyms