Changes in phospholipid levels during high moisture storage of soybeans

Fungicide‐treated and untreated commercial soy‐beans were stored at high temperature and humidity (35 C and 85% RH) in separate environmental chambers. Crude oil was extracted from the beans periodically during a 23‐day storage period and its phospholipids separated by three‐solvent system, two‐dimensional thin layer chromatography. The amount of phospholipids was determined by spectro‐photometric assay of inorganic phosphate liberated after perchloric acid digestion. The level of phospho‐lipids increased substantially during storage in treated and untreated soybean samples. Phosphatidic acid, phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and phosphatidyl choline were the major phospho‐lipids. Phosphatidyl choline was the principal phos‐pholipid in extracted crude oil from treated and untreated beans during storage. The major phospho‐lipid levels increased more rapidly during the first 6 days of storage than during the remainder of the period in both samples. The data indicated that increased phospholipid levels occurred independently of mold growth and could have been the result of water imbibition and germination of the beans during storage.