A lot of soybean research has “bean” going on at Iowa State recently.

Walter Fehr, professor of agronomy and director of biotechnology, is involved with two soybean research projects. One project is focused on toning down the “beany” taste of soybeans to make them more appealing to American taste buds.

Fehr said Japanese scientists found the enzymes in soybeans that contain the beany taste, while in 1992, ISU scientists found the genes to remove the enzymes. ISU scientists made adaptations that removed the enzymes from Iowa soybean varieties in 1996. He said the soybeans now have a “nutty flavor.”

Fehr said the next phase of the project is to find out how introducing the new “beany” taste-free soybeans will affect the soybean business. He said companies are currently looking at several possibilities.

The other project Fehr is involved in focuses on finding genes that will help soybean plants become resistant to soybean cyst nematodes, which are microscopic, parasitic worms that attack the roots of developing soybean plants.

Steve Hanson, program assistant of the soybean breeding project, said scientists are trying to discover new or novel genes that code resistance to the nematode because there is a fear that nematodes may overcome current forms of resistance.

Fehr said the soybean plant sends out a signal through the soil that lets the nematode know it is present. The nematode enters the root, makes a home and starts feeding on the soybean plant. He said many nematodes feed on a single root, which eventually reduces the yield of the plant.

Hanson said the 14 principal investigators are looking at Japanese and Chinese soybeans that are genetically different and could have new genes that would resist the nematodes.

“There’s never a promise,” he said. “It’s just a new set of genes.”

Hanson said the principal investigators are hoping to find the resistant genes to breed them into the soybean plants and continue to have future generations of soybeans that are resistant to the nematode.

Hanson said this project, which is supported by the United Soybean Board Fund, will end its first two years and start its third year on September 30.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done yet,” Hanson said. “This kind of research doesn’t happen overnight.”

Another soybean-related project at ISU is being conducted by Jay-lin Jane, professor of food science and human nutrition.

Jane said she has been working for seven to eight years to convert soy protein into biodegradable plastic by gradually improving the plastic’s properties. She said she studied soy protein and starch and decided on the protein because it is less water-sensitive and gives good mechanical properties.

Jane said she thought of using the protein because it is a biopolymer and has similar properties to the polymer polystyrene, which is used in petroleum-based plastics. She said polystyrene plastics take 400 to 500 years to break down in the environment, and the soy protein plastic will help “reduce the solid waste problem.”

Jane said by using extrusion, injection molding and various other processes she was able to make a soy protein plastic that breaks down 50 percent in 10 days to two weeks with composting.

“The leftover is used as a soil conditioner — fertilizer — which helps enhance growth and development of crops,” Jane said.

Jane said the soy protein plastic should be on the market soon because a company (Soy Works LLC) has licensed the technology and is developing “a wide variety” of commercial products such as utensils and construction material.

Jane said the soy protein plastic will “generate a new market for soybean crops.” She said scientists are researching soybeans because its products are diverse and “soybean is a good crop because [it] utilizes crops very well.”

Fehr said there are 10 million acres of soybeans in Iowa, which “means a great deal to [the] revenue of the state” and is “great for the state’s economy.”

Hanson said location is key to the research.

“We’re in Iowa,” Hanson said. “The economy is largely agriculture driven. It just makes sense to do soybean research.”