Non-destructive Analysis of the Oil Composition of Soybean Seeds by Natural Abundance Carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

The signals of fatty acids in the form of triglycerides were observed in the 13C NMR spectrum of an intact soybean seed. The major fatty acid component composition of triglycerides in a soybean seed, which includes linoleic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid, was estimated by subtracting the spectra of authentic fatty acids from the spectrum of the intact soybean seeds. The fatty acid compositions of seeds of 11 Japanese soybean cultivars and 5 lines bred at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) were estimated by this rapid (within lhr for one seed) and nondestructive analytical method.