Soybean is widely used in food formulations; however, few studies on fungal or mycotoxin contamination have been undertaken. In this regard, the free, conjugated and bound phenolic compounds, as well as their antioxidant and antifungal potential, besides the occurrence of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁ ) in soybeans were evaluated.

The conjugated and bound phenolic soybean extracts were more efficient for inhibition of the DPPH radical, the peroxidase enzyme and the fungal α-amylase enzyme. AFB_1, detected at low levels (0.96 to 1.67 ng g^-1 ), confirmed the protective effect of soybeans phenolic compounds against mycotoxigenic contamination. PCA confirmed that syringic, p-hydroxybenzoic, p-coumaric acids and vanillin were essential for antioxidant and antifungal activities.

Therefore, this study presented new insights into the functionality of phenolic compounds in soybeans; regarding their potential to naturally protect the crops against fungal contamination, as attested through the correlations between phenolic compounds and antioxidant mechanisms, avoiding aflatoxin production. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.