Protein inhibitors of cysteine proteinases possessing unusual properties have been found in soya (Glycine max) seeds. One of the inhibitor forms has also been detected in Bowman-Birk inhibitor preparations (both commercial and purified by affinity chromatography on chymotrypsin-Sepharose ones). A peculiarity of the inhibitors is that they irreversibly lose their activity in the presence of reducing agents; therefore their effects are normally unobserved under standard conditions of cysteine proteinase inhibitor assays. Soybean inhibitors are represented by two forms with pI of 5.9 and 3.2. The molecular mass of the inhibitor whose pI is equal to 5.8 is about 14 kDa. Both inhibitors suppress the activity of papain, ficin and bromelain.