Soybean and Applications in Indian Food Industry Dr.

Suresh Itapu1 Technical Director Soy Food Marketing American Soybean Association New Delhi
Introduction Soybean is one of the natures wonderful nutritional gifts. It is one of the very few plants those provide a high quality protein with minimum saturated fat. Soybean help people feel better and live longer with an enhanced quality of life. Soybeans contain all the three macronutrients required for good nutrition, as well as fiber, vitamins, minerals. Soybean protein provides all the essential amino acids in the amounts needed for human health. Almost 40 per cent of the calories from soybeans are derived from protein, making soybeans higher in protein than any other legumes and many animal products. But it is the quality of soy protein that is most remarkable. Health professionals consider soy protein as superior protein. The amino acid pattern of soy protein is virtually equivalent in quality to that of milk and egg protein. The 1990s FAO/WHO protein evaluation committee put soy protein at par with egg and milk protein and ahead of beef protein. Unlike many other good sources of protein, soybean not only has higher percentage of oil but also quality fatty acid profile. It has low saturated fat content with high amount of PUFA and is readily available source of essential fatty acids. Soybean has more than two times the amount of most of the minerals, especially calcium, iron, phosphorus and zinc, than any other legume and very low sodium content. Soybean has all the important vitamins and is very good source for Vitamin C and Vitamin E.
Composition of Soybean

5 10

40

18 18
Protein fiber Fat Minerals Carbohydrate Moisture

Health Benefits of Soy In addition to being a rich source of nutrients, soybean has a number of phytochemicals which offer health benefits along with soy protein. Soy protein has a number of health benefits such as, cancer prevention, cholesterol reduction, combating osteoporosis and menopause regulation. Human epidemiological studies suggest that as little as one serving of soy foods each day may be protective against many types of cancer. For the past 30 years, investigators have shown that consumption of soy protein selectively decreases total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintains HDL (good) cholesterol in individuals with elevated normal blood cholesterol levels. In supportive of the various research findings, United States Food and Drug Administration issued a health claim for soy protein in October of 1999. The health claim states

consumption of 25gms of soy protein per day with a diet containing low in saturated fat may lower the risk of heart diseases. Another important aspect of soy protein is combating osteoporosis and relieving menopause symptoms. One factor in bone health is limiting the amount of calcium lost from the body. Although protein especially animal protein contributes to calcium loss, soy protein exhibits less calcium leaching effects. Recent research has shown that soy foods can relieve most menopausal symptoms, thus reduce risks of cardiovascular disease and

osteoporosis. Soybean is considered as a natural alternate for hormone replacement therapy for treating women who are in menopause. Soy Protein Products The defatted soy flakes remaining after oil extraction are the basis of a variety of soy products including soy flour, soy concentrates and soy isolates. Soy concentrates contain about 65% protein and retain most of the bean's dietary

This article was published in the May 2003 issue of Processed Food Industry

fiber. Concentrates also add texture and help foods retain moisture. Surimi, protein drinks and soup bases and gravies contain soy

concentrates. Soy protein isolate has about 90 per cent protein, very little moisture with no fiber, carbohydrates or fat. Soy isolates are the chief component of many dairy-like products, including cheese, soymilk, infant formula, nondairy frozen desserts and coffee whiteners. They are used to add texture to meat products and are valued for their emulsifying properties. Fortification of Wheat Flour Wheat-soy flour is the wheat flour fortified with defatted soy flour maximum up to 10 per cent. Protein content in paushtik atta is about 16-17% and there will be about 25-30 percent increase in protein content compared to regular

whole-wheat atta. Soy flour is rich in protein and has an excellent profile of amino acids, particularly lysine, which is deficient in Wheat flour. Blending of 10 % soy flour with wheat flour will not only provide higher protein content but also improve the amino acid balance. Research shows that, blending of soy flour with wheat flour will increase the recommended amino acid availability from 40 to 80%. In addition to nutritional improvements, soy fortified wheat flour will improve the functional characteristics of the end products in terms of better moisture retention, less oil absorption. Soy Fortified Gram Flour (Besan) Defatted soy flour (DSF), which has more than double the protein of chickpea flour, is cheaper than chickpea flour. At the same time, DSF blends very well with besan with no beany flavor. About 20% of besan can be replaced with defatted soy flour without affecting the organoleptic attributes. Substitution of besan with defatted soy flour (20%), results in increase in the protein content from 20 to 26% in the blend translating to an increase of 30% in protein content and more than 30% improvement in protein quality. Extensive research has been done on soy fortified besan-based traditional products. This research shows that fortification of besan with soy flour has a number of advantages, specifically, nutritional improvement, cost effectiveness, a key functional benefit (less oil absorption) and overall health benefits. Key functional properties fat

binding capacity and water absorption capacity are quite different for soy protein compared with gram flour. It has been observed that addition of 20% soy flour to gram flour almost reduced 20% reduced the oil absorption during frying. Soymilk and Tofu Soymilk is an aqueous extract from soybeans. When extracted from soybean by using modern technologies can be made to taste great while containing all the nutrition of soybean. Although it does not

taste like dairy milk it has its own good taste, just as coffee does not taste like tea. Soymilk can be handled and used much in the same way as dairy milk. Besides being rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, soymilk is lactose free, cholesterol free and low in saturated fat. It presents a highly digestive and nutritious alternative to dairy and meat centered diets. Besides making tofu, soymilk can be converted into hot and cold beverages, fruit shakes, yogurt, ice cream, or can be used directly into cooking. Soymilk is available in bottles, poly packs and bulk also. Bulk and poly packed soymilk needs to be refrigerated. Bottled milk is usually sterilized and does not require refrigeration but it should be served chilled for best taste. Soymilk can be used make a number of dairy

alternatives including ice cream and yogurt. Tofu (soy Paneer) is the most popular among all the soymilk products. It is made upon coagulating the hot soymilk and removing the whey. Tofu is a versatile food and can be converted into a verity of value added products. Tofu easily takes the flavor of the product with which it is cooked. Soy Nuts Soy nuts are whole soybeans that have been soaked in water and roasted until browned. Soy nuts, like whole soybeans, are excellent source of protein, fat and isoflavones. Soy nuts can be eaten as snacks. They can be manufactured either by dry roasting or deep-frying. They can be eaten as an alternate to peanuts, which are expensive, and pose the problem of aflatoxins. Roasted soy nuts have at least 50% more protein and 50% less fat than peanuts. Most conventional nuts are incredibly high in fat but soy nuts have less fat and more protein compared to conventional nuts. Soy nuts are similar in texture and flavor to peanuts and are far less expensive than peanuts. Nuggets and Granules Nuggets and Granules, technically termed Texturised Vegetable Protein (TVP), are economical and convenient for consumption for all consumers. TVP is made from a very good

quality defatted soy flour using a highly versatile extrusion technology. These products have more than 50 percent protein, which makes it one of the richest sources of protein. Its nutritional composition is similar to that of defatted soy flour. It is ideal as a protein source in a vegetarian diet. These products have hydration properties are ideal for a wide range of food applications. TVP can be used to replace vegetables and meat in a variety of recipes. The product is bland and blends itself with the other ingredients to which it is added. In addition to the health benefits, nuggets and granules have low in fat and a good source of iron and B-vitamins. As they are pre-cooked, so they are easily digestible and require very less time to cook. The extrusion cooking process destroys the anti-nutritional factors associated with soy completely. Since the extrusion process is a high temperature short time process the nutrient loss is minimal. Nuggets and granules have very low in moisture so can be kept for long time. Bakery Products In different bakery products soy can be fortified with wheat flour both for functional and nutritional reasons. In general replaced soy flour can be added up to 3% without changing formulation except water. In bakery products, three types of soy flour can be used based on the product. Currently a number of bakers are using enzyme active soy flour up to 1% as a bread improver. This enzyme active soy flour can be either full fat or defatted. The enzyme lipoxigenase present in

soy not only improves the bread color but also improves machinability (dough handling properties) of the dough. In case of bread and biscuits, high PDI soy flour (low heat treated) can be used as an alternate to non-fat dry milk where it can reduce the cost of the raw material. Addition of soy flour improves the nutritional quality as well as increases water absorption, helps in emulsification of fats and other ingredients. The other major application for soy flour in bakery products is use of

lecithinated soy flour as an alternate to whole eggs in cakes and doughnuts. High PDI soy flour with 6-15 % of lecithin can be used in cakes and doughnuts to replace whole egg in these products. A recent study conducted at American Institute of Baking in The U.S. suggested that by using lecithinated soy flour as an alternate to egg, the raw material cost can be almost reduced up to 25%. Noodles Noodles and vermicelli are a form of pasta that is becoming extremely popular in India even as Continental and Italian delicacy. Pasta is prepared by means of an extrusion machine that is basically made of stainless steel. The machine itself is high technology and provides the manufacturers to produce pasta with several alternative materials (like

Maida, Suji, Rava, Rice Flour and so on) and in different shapes (like Spaghetti, Fettuccini, Macaroni, Fusilli, Penne, etc.) of Pasta and Noodles. The basic raw material for noodles is, refined wheat flour, which has inferior nutritional quality. Addition of soy flour will not only improved the nutritional quality it also gives some functional benefits to the final product. Addition of 10-12% defatted soy flour to wheat flour will give a product with increased moisture retention in case of wet noodles. Where as, in case of fried noodles it will save oil during frying. Soy fortified noodles not only increases the noodles strength but also increases the product yield with any effect on color and taste.
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The improved noodle strength reduces the breakage losses during drying of noodles and requires no oil for handling of the noodles especially to separate the wet noodles. Just addition of 10% soy flour almost reduces 60 % usage of eggs in case of egg noodles. Conclusion Soybeans supply protein, minor components, and fiber together with cholesterol-reducing and properties. anti-carcinogenic of soybean's Awareness properties and of the use of soy protein in foods has increased dramatically during the last few years. As consumer demand grows for low-fat healthy foods, the use of soybeans as a key ingredient can be expected to expand. In most of the

products, except wheat products, addition of soy flour generally reduces the cost and improves the functionality. Where as, in wheat products even though there is slight increase in cost but if the functionality of soy protein in various products is considered, addition of soy flour is economical with nutritional improvement as bonus. In general addition of soy products in various products requires very little change in technology and no changes at all in process equipment. Soy protein is also a cost-effective way to reduce fat, increase protein content, and improve the overall characteristics of various Indian traditional food products.

American Soybean Association/Asia Subcontinent, 168 Jor Bagh, New Delhi; Tel: +91 11 2465 1611, 1659; Fax: +91 11 2465 1526; E-mail: sitapu@asaasc.com; Homepage: www.asaasc.com