**5.3 Vegetable soybeans (edamame, mukimame)**

Vegetable soybean consists of the whole soybean picked at the R6-R7 stage and seeds are bigger and sweeter. At this stage, the soybean has a firm texture, contains a high level of sucrose, chlorophyll, and is at its peak of green maturity. The harvested pod can be left entire or be shucked into individual beans. After being blanched and frozen, the soybean can be sold as "edamame," referring to the entire pod, or "mukimame," referring to individual beans [2]. Nutritionally, it is highly rich in protein (11–16%), monounsaturated fatty acid, vitamin C, fiber, iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorous, folate, magnesium, potassium, tocopherol, and anticancer isoflavones [44]. It also has a pleasant flavor and soft texture and is easier to cook. Cooked vegetable soybean has the highest net protein utilization value (NPU: ratio of amino acid converted to protein) among all soy products. Vegetable soybean also has 60% more calcium and twice the phosphorus and potassium levels of green peas, which is India's most commonly consumed fresh legume (https:// www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/dfid). The vegetable soybean, in general,

carries a flavor, called "beany flavor" or "grassy flavor." Genotypes with high levels of sucrose, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and alanine are found to have acceptable taste [44]. Biochemical analysis has established that production of "beany flavor" in soybean or soy-based products is primarily due to the lipoxygenase or the oxidative rancidity of unsaturated fatty acids [45]. Plant lipids are sequentially degraded into volatile and nonvolatile compounds by a series of enzymes via the lipoxygenase pathway, which catalyzes the hydroperoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids to form the aldehyde and alcohols that are responsible for the grassy-beany flavor [46]. *Organic food-grade* soybeans are produced using cultivation practices that do not use synthetic compounds. In the U.S., growers producing and selling soybeans that are labeled "organic" must be certified by a USDA-approved state or private agency. The top selling organically produced soy products in the US are tofu and soymilk. Other specialty soybeans include varieties with low saturated fat, high isoflavone, high sucrose, high oleic acid, high stearate, or high protein. Large-seeded soybeans with thin seed coat and a clear hilum are preferred for the soynut market, while small- to medium-sized seeds are preferred for sprouts.
