Enhancing the Viscosity and Nutritional Value of Traditional Foods Using Soybean-Derived Products

Project Manager: Dr. Kirby Hayes

Soy-based ingredients have long been used for their functional properties in food.  Soy ingredients like soy protein concentrates have significant emulsifying, gelling, and thickening (increasing viscosity) properties that make them useful in a wide variety of viscous and semi-viscous food products.  In 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a soy protein health claim linking soy protein consumption to reduced risk of coronary heart disease.  The functional and health aspects of soy protein create the desire for more soy proteins in commercial food products.   

A major limiting factor to using soy proteins in many of these food systems is a “grainy” texture that soy protein imparts.  This prototype project will focus on two strategies to incorporate soy proteins into viscous and semi-viscous foods, such as yogurt, pudding, and tomato-based sauces, without creating the negative texture aspects.  Strategy one will consist of partial replacement of food proteins with soy proteins, partial replacement of food gums/hydrocolloids with soy proteins, and a combination of gum/protein replacement with soy protein.  The second strategy will focus on altering the texture and rehydration characteristics of soy protein concentrates by using novel grinding and rehydration techniques.   

This analysis will identify novel ways to incorporate soy protein products into more foods.  The results from this prototype project will assist in creating value-added products for soybean growers, soybean product producers, and soybean cooperative participants.  The overall value to the innovator/corporation that adopts these new strategies is a means to deliver a food product with enhanced nutritional and functional value.  An important component of the assessment activity for this project will be identification of and discussions with producers or producer groups who would form the entity or organization to commercialize these new products.