Specialty U.S. Soy Database – the premier destination for sourcing soybeans for food

April is Soy Foods Month, making it a perfect time to spotlight a valuable resource for creating high-quality soy foods: the Specialty U.S. Soy Database. This online tool helps food manufacturers, traders and buyers match the right U.S. soybean varieties to their specific product needs, from tofu and soymilk to natto and miso. 

The interactive, web‑based catalog profiles nearly 500 U.S. soybean varieties suited for soy foods and specialty oil uses. It was developed in response to export customers who wanted more detailed, comparable information on identity preserved soybeans from the U.S. 

Users can search and filter varieties based on quality traits such as oil and protein levels, hilum color, estimated tofu and soymilk yields, seed size and origin. For food companies, this makes it easier to identify varieties tailored to specific applications like firm tofu, smooth soymilk, natto with distinct texture or high oleic soybean oil for frying and processed foods. Once a variety is selected, the system links users to a supplier directory so they can contact seed companies and exporters who handle that bean. Many of the suppliers in the directory are members of the U.S. Identity Preserved Alliance (USIP Alliance).  

The database is updated annually with new testing and varieties, reflecting results from soybean samples collected across the U.S. and analyzed by certified laboratories. It is funded in part by the soy checkoff and built through collaboration among the United Soybean Board, U.S. Soybean Export Council, U.S. universities, seed technology providers, exporters and farmers. That coordinated effort has made it the most comprehensive specialty U.S. soy food variety resource available to international buyers. 

The database also references the USIP Alliance resources, including trade leads, its online educational platform and the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance protocol. View the database at this link.