TastyBeans

"Sustainable production of local produced, tasty and nutritious edamame beans."

⌐ The project has been granted 2.999.320 DKK in funding.  
⌐ The project starts on 1 July 2025 and will end on 30 June 2027.

Introducing the TastyBeans project

Background for the project:

Edamame – immature soybeans harvested before fully ripening – is a staple of Japanese cuisine, traditionally served steamed and lightly salted. Edamame offers diverse flavour profiles. Rich in protein, oil, and fibre, edamame has gained global popularity as a nutritious plant-based food. In Europe, however, edamame is mostly available as frozen imports from Asia, raising concerns about carbon footprint, traceability, and food security. Limited understanding of genetic adaptation to northern conditions means locally produced edamame is currently unavailable. This project aims to address that gap by investigating the genetic basis for soybean adaptive traits and nutritional properties, understanding sensory attributes, and exploring Danish consumer preferences for locally produced edamame products.

The activities 

The project is organized into four main research activities. First, 250 genetically diverse soybean accessions will be analyzed for adaptive traits. Second, trained panelists will assess edamame samples for consumer-relevant sensory attributes, complemented by NMR spectroscopy to identify metabolites linked to taste and flavour. Third, advanced statistical genetic analysis will combine phenotypic, genomic, and metabolomics data using multi-omics approaches and machine learning to uncover the genetic basis of soybean adaptation, sensory quality, and taste. Finally, Danish consumer preferences for locally produced edamame will be investigated.

Outcomes

The project aims to advance local edamame production to meet the growing demand for fresh, nutritious and tasty plant-based food.