Differences of fatty acid composition in Brazilian genetic and conventional soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) grown in different regions

•This work studies non and transgenic soybean grown in different regions.•Transgenic beans possess superior amounts of n-3 fatty acids.•The component analysis showed the main difference between non and transgenic samples.•Significant difference was observed between soybeans and different locations.

The aim of this study was to compare fatty acid profiles of seed samples from twenty different soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) genotypes (14 non-transgenic and six transgenic Roundup-tolerant) grown at two different locations, both in the Parana state, a southern region of Brazil. A total of eleven fatty acids were detected and quantified, among them the most expressive ones were oleic, linoleic, linolenic and palmitic acids. The total unsaturated fatty acid amount was higher than 82%. An increase in the n-3 fatty acids quantities were observed in transgenic species, which can be reflected in lower n-6/n-3 ratios, a highly desired trend regarding consumers' health. In conclusion, results showed a large amount of variation among the different germplasms (either conventional or transgenic) within and across locations.