INTRODUCTION

Milk and milk produce from an integrate and an important part of

human diet and provide substantial percentage of protein, energy
vitamins and minerals. Nearly one third of world's intake of
animal protein is derived from milk and milk products. The
importance of the dairy industry to the national economy can be
judged from the fact that milk is bigger item of consumption, than
wheat, rice, cotton and sugar cane.

Unfortunately Pakistan is spending a huge amount of money

every year on the import of milk and milk products. Though
Pakistan is blessed with vast milk resources and according to
livestock, division at present in the country per capital production
is about 130 kg per annum. The off take per human consumption
is about 100 kgs per capita per year which is the highest among
the Asian countries. Due to lack of storage and transport facilities
a good portion is converted into the KHOA, Ghee and curd the
rest remains available as fresh milk.

It is said that milk requirements growing at a rate of 6% per

annum whereas the milk production increasing only about 3% per
annum. According to National Advisory Committee a balanced
diet, among other food items, minimum of 10 ounces of milk daily
for adults and 15-25 ounces for children and infants as against 8
oz available per day per person in the country.

Several methods have been suggested so far to improve the

situation relating to milk production in the country, but none has
been practiced on a large scale. Most of the milk plants could not
run successfully and that collection of milk is difficult and does
not reach in good condition due to non-availability of refrigeration
system.

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 Soya Milk
Soya milk (called soymilk in America) is made from soya beans.
Essentially, it is an aqueous extract that is prepared by grinding
soya beans that have been soaked in water. Soy milk contains
about the same proportion of protein as cow's milk: around 3.5%;
also 2% fat, 2.9% carbohydrate, and 0.5% ash. Soy milk can be
made at home with traditional kitchen tools or with a soy milk
machine.

The process of making soya milk was discovered in China where

soya beans were originally cultivated and consumed. It was
mainly used in the process of making tofu or bean curd. By 1931,
calcium-fortified soya milk was being produced in America by
Madison Foods in Tennessee.

Soya milk is popular amongst people who drink it because of

medical reasons or because they have ethical issues about
consuming dairy milk. However, millions of people drink it not
necessarily as a substitute for milk, but as a tasty and nutritious
drink.

Soyabean ranks high among the legumeous crops of the world in

its nutritive value. The Soya Bean seed varies in size, shape and
colour from pale or straw yellow to jet black covering about 1500
varieties. Soyabean is grown mainly as a food crop in China,
Manchuria, Japan, and other countries of East and South East
Asia. At present USA has been the biggest producer of Soyabean
in the world. It is also cultivated in several other countries, viz,
Canada, Brazil, Argentine, USSR, Germany and Romania.

The production of Soyabean is limited to about 7000 to 8000

tonnes, per annum and it is steadily growing in Pakistan.
Soyabean plays a unique role and important role in Agriculture
Commerce, Industry and Nutrition. For centuries, it has been the
most important source of dietary protein of millions of people in
the orients, contributing a valuable supplement to their diets. The
greens seed are consumed as a vegetable, while dry or sprouted
seeds are used in a variety of food preparation. Soyabean has

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been utilized in the preparation of milk substitutes and a variety
of fermented products.

Due to non-availability of milk a huge quantity of milk products is

being imported every year to meet the growing demand of the
country. The present imports of milk powder and other dairy
products is more than 900 million per annum. In view of the acute
shortage much attention has been directed towards the low cost
milk substitutes having the same nutritive value.

The scientists have standardized the conditions for obtaining

Soyabean a palatable milk like emulsion fortified with vitamins
and minerals. The composition and nutritive value of milk
prepared compares favourably with that of cow's milk.

Soyabean curd has been prepared by innoculating soyabean milk

containing 1-2 per cent added invert sugar, with a mixed culture
of S.Lactis and P. Citrovorus. Lactic fermentation masked the
soyabean flavour almost completely.

Several workers have shown that the biological value of soyamilk

protein is 80-90 per cent of that of cow's milk proteins. Some
Scientists have reported a digestibility coefficient of 91 and a
biological value of 79 for the proteins of soyabean milk. The
biological value could be further improved by fortifying the milk
with methionine. Calcium fortified soyamilk was found to
supplement diet to a significant extent, compatable to that of
cow's milk. Feeding trials with children conducted by scientists
have shown that soyabean milk proteins were 80 per cent as
much utilizable as cow's milk proteins. Digestibility coefficient and
biological value as reported by them for adult subjects were 96.6
and 94 respectively. Metabolism studies carried out by Scientists
with human subjects have shown that the calcium in soyamilk and
curd fortified with calcium hydrogen phosphate, was utilised to
the extent of about 90 per cent of the calcium present in cow's
milk. For growing rats found that soyamilk is about 80 per cent as
potent as cow's milk with registered to its vitamin B-complex
content.

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Some scientists have reviewed exhaustively the literature
available on the nutritive value of vegetable milks in infant
feeding. In general, the results obtained by a large number of
investigators indicate that soyabean milk can be used as a
satisfactory substitute for cow's or human milk for feeding infants.

Dried milk substitute from soyabean: Spray dried milk substitutes

like Soyalac and Mullsoy are being used in America for feeding
infants and children who are allergic to cow's milk. Human
feeding trials carried out by some scientists have shown that the
biological value of Mullsoy a brand of processed soyabean milk
was 95 as compared with egg protein. Some Scientists
successfully treated an advanced case of kwashiorkor with spray
dried soyamilk and suggested the use of spray dried soyamilk
with malt or chocolate flavour for children whose digestive power
had been severely impaired. Production of Saridele from
soyabean and groundnut or sesame for feeding infants and
children is being successfully carried out in Indonesia with UNICEF
aid.

What are the benefits of soya milk?

Soya milk has nutritional ,health and ecological benefits.

Nutritional
Nutritionally, soya milk is quite similar to dairy milk. Following are
some of the reasons why it is endorsed as a substitute to dairy
milk.

 The protein content of soya milk is quite similar to that of

dairy milk.
 The protein found in soya milk is vegetable in nature. Unlike
animal protein found in dairy milk, vegetable protein
prevents loss of calcium through the kidneys. (Much of the
calcium in soya beans is lost during the process of extracting
the milk through the residual pulp which is discarded.
However, commercial soya milk is adequately fortified with
calcium.)

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  Dairy milk has saturated fats, which can lead to high
cholesterol. Soya milk, on the other hand, contains very little
saturated fat.
 Commercial soya milk is also fortified with vitamins such as
B12. This makes soya milk a substitute for dairy milk for
vegans. Vegans are people who prefer not to consume or
use any products of animal origin.
 Soya milk has no lactose and can be easily digested by
people who are lactose intolerant.
 Allergies due to dairy milk are quite common among
children. Compared to this, very few children are allergic to
soya milk. Before switching children to soya milk, however,
consult their doctor.
 Soya milk contains prebiotic sugars such as stachyose and
raffinose. These play a role in improving immunity and
removing toxins in the body.
 Dairy milk may contain harmful synthetic hormones such as
rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) that are used to
increase milk production in cattle.
 Certain studies have linked dairy milk in childhood to the
development of insulin-dependent diabetes in later life,
though this has not been conclusively proved. With soya milk
there is no such risk.
 Soya milk is exceptionally rich in isoflavones such as
genistein and daidzein. These confer certain health benefits
such as reducing cholesterol levels, controlling osteoporosis,
and reducing cancers of the prostrate and breast.
Isoflavones also protect body cells from oxidation.

Health benefits
Soy milk is nutritionally close to cow's milk. It naturally has about
the same amount of protein (though not the same amino acid
profile) as cow's milk. Natural soy milk contains little digestible
calcium as it is bound to the bean's pulp, which is insoluble in a
human. To counter this, many manufacturers enrich their
products with calcium carbonate available to human digestion.
Unlike cow's milk, it has little saturated fat and no cholesterol.
Soy products contain sucrose as the basic disaccharide, which
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breaks down into glucose and fructose. Since soy doesn't contain
galactose, a product of lactose breakdown, soy-based infant
formulas can safely replace breast milk in children with
galactosemia.
Soy milk is promoted as a healthy alternative to cow's milk for
reasons including:
* Source of lecithin and vitamin E
* Lacks casein
* It is safe for people with lactose intolerance or milk allergy
* Contains far less saturated fat than cow's milk.
Ecological
Apart from its nutritional benefits, widespread use of soya milk
may have ecological advantages. This is because soya beans
grown on an area of land can produce more soya milk than if the
same amount of land is used to grow fodder for cattle. However,
as the quality of land required for cultivating soya beans differs
from that used to grow fodder, this is a debated issue.

Demerits of soya milk

A 2008 study found that men who consume an average of half a
portion of soy products per day are more likely to have a lower
concentration of sperm. Critics of the study have claimed that the
decrease in concentration was due to a corresponding increase in
ejaculate volume.While the study found a decreasing trend in
sperm concentration with soy intake, it also notes that soy food
and isoflavone intake were unrelated to total sperm count,
ejaculate volume, sperm motility, or sperm morphology and that
the clinical significance of the findings remains to be determined.

High levels of phytic acid bind to important nutrients like calcium,

magnesium, iron, and zinc during digestion. However, as a
comparison, cow's milk is known for significantly slowing down
the absorption of iron and, additionally, calcium from other than
dairy sources (like kale, sesame).

Although soy milk is not generally suitable for babies or

infants,some baby formulas based on soy protein are used

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primarily in the case of lactose intolerant children, those allergic
to cow's milk, or parental preference for a vegetarian or vegan
diet. These formulas commonly contain extra carbohydrates, fat,
vitamins, and minerals. However, care must also be taken to
avoid feeding soy milk to children with "soy protein intolerance".

Comparison Between Soyamilk

and Cow’s Milk
Nutrients Soyabean Milk Cow’s milk
Total Sold 10.55 13.44
(g)
Protein 4.2 3.2
(Nx6.25)
Fat (g) 3. 3.9
4
Carbohydrates 3.2 4.6
(g)
Ash (g) 0.75 0.74
Phosphorus 0.10 0.07
(g)
Iron (mg) 1. 0.2
2

Vitamin Content Per Litre

Thiamine (mg) 0.82 0.45

Riboflavin (mg) 1.10 1.70
Nicotinic Acid 2.49 1.26
(mg)
Ascorbic Acid 21.6 15.9
(mg)
Vitamin A (I.U.) as 750 1500
Provitamins.

CONCLUSION
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The production of vegetable milk/curd from Soyabean has been
successfully done and marketed in many parts of the World
particularly in South Asia and South East Asia such as Japan,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and India. The writer has
successfully prepared in a laboratory scale milk from Soyabean.
The price per litre of Soya Milk does not exceed more than Rs.8/9.
The Government or private organisation come forward to produce
Soya Milk to inhibit the price of Animal Milk in the country.