Effects of genotype and environment on the nutrient and metabolic profiles of soybeans genetically modified with epidermal growth factor or thioredoxin compared with conventional soybeans

Genetically modified (GM) soybean events CT-4025 and CT-1001, which contain genes encoding thioredoxin and epidermal growth factor, respectively, have previously been developed for use in cosmetic materials. In this study, compositional analyses and metabolic profiling were carried out to assess the unintended effects on the composition of metabolites between GM soybeans and non-GM soybeans. The soybeans were cultivated in 2016 and 2017 in two regions (Ochang and Jeonju) in the Republic of Korea. Statistical analyses were performed using univariate and multivariate methods. Results from the compositional analysis showed that the compositional variation in the tested GM varieties was within the range of conventional varieties. Furthermore, the results of multivariate analysis revealed that the growing year had a much stronger effect on soybean composition than did the growing site or genotypes. In the case of soybeans harvested in 2016, the levels of most amino acids decreased while those of secondary metabolites and sucrose increased, indicating that water stress due to low rainfall in 2016 induced metabolic changes. These results suggest that environmental factors have a major impact on the composition of GM and non-GM soybeans. We further demonstrated that metabolic approaches are useful for investigating the environmental change-induced metabolic network in GM crops intended for use in cosmetic materials. [Display omitted] •GMO soybeans intended for cosmetic use are compositionally equivalent to non-GMOs.•Environmental factors cause more differences than genetic modification.•Metabolomic approaches can determine compositional changes.•GMO soybeans with epidermal growth factor or thioredoxin are safe for cosmetic use.