The production of soybean continues to increase worldwide. People are showing more interest in the beneficial health effects of soybeans than before. However, the origin and history of soybeans are still being discussed among many researchers. Chromatographic methods enable the desirable separation of a variety of isoflavones from soybeans. The structures of isolated soy isoflavones have been successfully identified in tandem with spectroscopic analytical instruments and technologies such as liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The theoretical background behind spectroscopy may help improve the understanding for the analysis of isoflavones in soybeans and soy-derived foods. This review covers the origin of the English name of soybean and its scientific name, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, based on the evidence reported to date. Moreover, the reports of soy isoflavones discovered over a period of about 100 years have been briefly reviewed.

全球大豆产量持续增加。人们对大豆对健康的有益作用比以前更加感兴趣。然而，许多研究人员仍在讨论大豆的起源和历史。色谱方法能够从大豆中理想地分离多种异黄酮。结合光谱分析仪器和技术（例如液相色谱法、质谱法和核磁共振波谱法），已成功鉴定了分离的大豆异黄酮的结构。光谱学背后的理论背景可能有助于提高对大豆和大豆衍生食品中异黄酮分析的理解。本综述根据迄今为止报告的证据，涵盖了大豆英文名称及其学名Glycine max (L.) Merrill 的起源。此外，还对大约100年来发现的大豆异黄酮的报道进行了简要回顾。