Tetracycline residue alters the nutritional quality and bioactive composition of soybean sprouts: Evidence from transcriptomic and rhizosphere microbiota analyses

Antibiotic residues in edible crops have become an increasing food safety concern, yet their impacts on crop nutritional quality and bioactive composition remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of tetracycline, a widely used antibiotic in soil-vegetable systems, on the growth and nutritional quality and bioactive composition of soybean sprouts. Results showed tetracycline exposure significantly inhibited sprout growth and nutrient accumulation in a dose-dependent manner, with high concentrations reducing vitamin C, total flavonoids, and coumestrol contents by approximately 50 %, 30 %, and 43 %, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that these related declines were associated with disruptions in carbon, amino acid, and lipid metabolism, as well as in flavonoid and coumestrol biosynthesis pathways. In parallel, rhizosphere microbiota analysis showed that tetracycline reshaped microbial community structure by reducing nitrogen-cycling-related taxa (<i>Dokdonella</i>, <i>Acidibacter</i>) and enriching resistant genera (<i>Acinetobacter)</i>, which were significantly correlated with changes in sprout nutritional quality and bioactive composition. Together, these results demonstrate that tetracycline residues drive substantial losses of nutritional and bioactive composition in edible crops through coordinated metabolic and microbiome-mediated mechanisms, revealing an underappreciated pathway by which antibiotic contamination threatens crop nutritional value and food quality.