Drought Increases Vitamin E Levels in Soybean Seeds

Scientists at the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have found that weather and climate play key roles in levels of tocopherols in soybean seeds. Tocopherols are a family of compounds that protect cells from free radicals, highly reactive atoms or groups of atoms that can damage important cellular components such as DNA and cell membrane. The family includes alpha-tocopherol, the active form of vitamin E in humans.

Steven Britz and colleagues analyzed the content of tocopherols in soybean seeds grown at several locations in Maryland between 1999 and 2002. Weather was relatively normal between 1999 and 2001, but extreme drought and warmer temperatures characterized 2002. The researchers found that under extreme drought conditions in 2002, early maturing lines had as much as a 3.5-fold increase in relative alpha-tocopherol content, compared to the other years during which rainfall was adequate.

According to the researchers, the study shows how nutritional properties of crops can be dramatically affected by weather and potentially by climate change.

Read the full article at http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1261