Soybean
<p >The <b>soybean</b> (U.S.) or <b>soya bean</b> (UK) (<i><b>Glycine max</b></i>)<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#cite_note-1" >[2]</a></sup> is a species of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legume" title="Legume" >legume</a> native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bean" title="Bean" >bean</a>which has numerous uses. The plant is classed as an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilseed" title="Oilseed" class="mw-redirect" >oilseed</a> rather than a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_(legume)" title="Pulse (legume)" >pulse</a> by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_and_Agricultural_Organization" title="Food and Agricultural Organization" class="mw-redirect" >Food and Agricultural Organization</a> (FAO).</p>
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Fat-free (defatted) soybean meal is a significant and cheap source of protein for animal feeds and many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tv_dinner" title="Tv dinner" class="mw-redirect" >prepackaged meals</a>;<sup id="cite_ref-ffree_2-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#cite_note-ffree-2" >[3]</a></sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean_oil" title="Soybean oil" >soy vegetable oil</a> is another product of processing the soybean crop. For example, soybean products such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textured_vegetable_protein" title="Textured vegetable protein" >textured vegetable protein</a>(TVP) are ingredients in many meat and dairy analogues.<sup id="cite_ref-Riaz2006_3-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#cite_note-Riaz2006-3" >[4]</a></sup> </p>
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Soybeans produce significantly more protein per acre than most other uses of land.<sup id="cite_ref-NSRL_4-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#cite_note-NSRL-4" >[5]</a></sup></p>
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Traditional nonfermented food uses of soybeans include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_milk" title="Soy milk" >soy milk</a>, and from the latter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu" title="Tofu" >tofu</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu_skin" title="Tofu skin" >tofu skin</a>.
Fermented foods include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_sauce" title="Soy sauce" >soy sauce</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermented_bean_paste" title="Fermented bean paste" >fermented bean paste</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natto" title="Natto" class="mw-redirect" >natto</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh" title="Tempeh" >tempeh</a>, among others. </p>
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The oil is used in many industrial applications. </p>
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The main producers of soy are the United States (35%), Argentina (27%), Brazil (19%), China (6%) and India (4%).<sup id="cite_ref-fas.usda.gov_5-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#cite_note-fas.usda.gov-5" >[6]</a></sup> Today, the United States is also the world's largest consumer of soybeans, with an average annual consumption of 45,313 TMT.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#cite_note-6" >[7]</a></sup> </p>
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The beans contain significant amounts of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytic_acid" title="Phytic acid" >phytic acid</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-linolenic_acid" title="Alpha-linolenic acid" class="mw-redirect" >alpha-linolenic acid</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoflavone" title="Isoflavone" class="mw-redirect" >isoflavones</a>.</p>