The soybean , soy bean , or soya bean Glycine max [ 3 ] is a species of legume native to East Asia , widely grown for its edible bean , which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk , from which tofu and tofu skin are made.
Fat-free defatted soybean meal is a significant and cheap source of protein for animal feeds and many packaged meals. Soybeans contain significant amounts of phytic acid , dietary minerals and B vitamins. Soy vegetable oil , used in food and industrial applications, is another product of processing the soybean crop. Soybean is a common protein source in feed for farm animals that in turn yield animal protein for human consumption.
The name of the genus, Glycine , comes from Linnaeus. When naming the genus, Linnaeus observed that one of the species within the genus had a sweet root.
Like most plants, soybeans grow in distinct morphological stages as they develop from seeds into fully mature plants. The first stage of growth is germination , a method which first becomes apparent as a seed's radicle emerges. The first photosynthetic structures, the cotyledons , develop from the hypocotyl , the first plant structure to emerge from the soil.
These cotyledons both act as leaves and as a source of nutrients for the immature plant, providing the seedling nutrition for its first 7 to 10 days. The first true leaves develop as a pair of single blades.
