For the fresh storage study, fresh soybean pods were stored at 4 C in plastic bags flushed with nitrogen or air for 28 days. Soybean pods were also stored at 25 C in nitrogen-flushed bags or in open air for 8e12 days. For the frozen storage study, vegetable soybean was blanched in boiling water or steam prior to freezing. Both water and steam blanching methods were applied to intact pods and shelled seeds of both soybean genotypes. Half of the vegetable soybean pods were manually shelled immediately after harvest, and the other half of pods were used directly for treatments. Shelled vegetable soybean seeds of 180 g or intact pods of 360 g were blanched in 3.8 L of boiling water for 10 min, or steamed at 100 C for 10 min on the same day of harvest. The water blanching condition was selected according to the results of , and the same duration was used in steam blanching. Steam blanching was carried out in a covered steamer (Dixie Canner Co. Athens, GA, USA) where soybean pods or seeds were placed on a perforated stainless steel tray. After blanching, soybean pods or seeds were rapidly cooled in ice water for 1 min. After the water
was drained, all soybean pods were shelled, and the seeds were packaged in zip-lock bags for frozen storage. Blanched soybean were stored at 20 C and sampled monthly for 6 months for sugar analysis.