Soybean As An Ingredient

Soybean has been an important ingredient of the human diet since the 18th century.

- Debomitra Dey

This legume-based crop has been utilised for numerous value-added products such as; texturised vegetable product (meat analogues); soy milk; soy sauce; miso; tofu; and infant formula. Soybean is one of the touted functional foods in today’s time due to its nutritional composition which consists of about 60 percent of protein and oil content along with a good balance of dietary fibres, carbohydrates, vitamins, and flavonoids. Due to the high protein content soybean is a complete source of protein, which consists of a significant amount of essential amino acids.

It is believed that soybean has many health benefits including the prevention of breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart diseases, and osteoporosis. The health benefits of soybean are attributed to the functional properties of soybean which include; high fibre content; high protein content; essential amino acids; antioxidants; and phytoestrogens. Researchers have reported that phytoestrogens play a critical role in cancer prevention. Soybeans contain a high amount of isoflavones and have been found to be protective against breast cancer and prostate cancer. The nutritional composition of soybean is depicted in the table below

Soybean as Meat and Dairy Substitute

Soybean can essentially replace meat and dairy due to its high protein content. The biological value of soybean is 74 and its counterpart cow milk, whole egg and beef are 91, 100 and 80 respectively. Soybean-based products are highly accepted by vegan and lactose-intolerant consumers. The growing demand for meat and dairy alternatives has increased the market and opportunities for food producers to plunge into plant-based meats and non-dairy products.