Soyfoods Soar on Health and Taste

Prepared Foods, April, 2001 by Linda Milo Ohr

Improved flavor and nutritious soy protein and isoflavones contribute to the growing popularity of soyfoods in the mainstream market.

Did you know that April is Soyfoods Month? This is a time when soy associations and media publicity encourage the consumption of soyfoods, which as of late, has not been difficult to do.

The soybean has definitely evolved from its stereotypical days as an inexpensive meat filler and animal feed. Today, soyfoods such as burgers and beverages have moved out of small niche natural stores into the mainstream market.

Last September, Good Housekeeping, a popular consumer magazine, published results from a taste test study it conducted. The staff recommended seven favorite soyfoods: meatless or chicken-free nuggets, soy-burgers, black soybeans, chocolate soymilk, cold soy cereal, soy nuts and green soybeans.

With the promise of soy's health benefits and the ongoing positive press that soy enjoys, soy-food consumption should continue to grow. Manufacturers' sales of soyfoods are projected to top $6.9 billion in 2005, according to Soyfoods: Blends and Developments, a study from Business Communications Co. Inc., Norwalk, Conn. Even the soy ingredient market, which includes different types of soy protein, soy fiber and soy isoflavones, is projected to increase from $523.3 million in 2000 to $659.2 million in 2005.

Simply adding soy ingredients, such as soy protein and soy isoflavones, to any food will not increase sales. According to focus group studies by a flavor supplier, consumers have strong opinions about what kinds of food products are appropriate for soy addition. Power bars, veggie burgers and breakfast drinks were the top consumer choices. Yogurt, lowfat yogurt, frozen yogurt and meal supplement beverages followed closely behind.

In creating these soy-based foods, formulators need some basic soy ingredient know-how.

Milking It

The latest figures show that overall sales of soymilk beverages grew nearly 50% in 2000. Refrigerated soymilk grew from 13% of the market to 30%, according to Soyatech Inc., Bar Harbor, Maine.

One common complaint related to soymilk and soy-based beverages is their beany flavor. Odwalla Inc., Half Moon Bay, Calif., overcomes this challenge with its latest product, OdwallaMilk. Introduced last month, OdwallaMilk is a blend of organic soy, basmati rice and oat milks.

"The challenge behind OdwallaMilk was to combine the right proportion of soybeans to oats and rice so as not to be overpowering, then adding fruit notes for sweetness, including peach, mango and banana," reports Barr Hogen, creative chef at Odwalla. The beverage, available in original and chocolate flavor, supplies 33 mg and 22 mg of soy isoflavones, respectively.

Touting the soy isoflavone content has its advantages. "Many consumers associate soy with a healthy lifestyle and potential health benefits. Postmenopausal women are most aware of soy isoflavones in particular because they are part of the family of phytoestrogens," notes Brent Flickinger, Ph.D., nutrition research scientist for a soy isoflavone and soy protein supplier. "Bone health and midlife transition quality of life issues are most important to menopausal women and are reflected in the considerable number of dietary supplements containing isoflavones in the marketplace aimed at these consumers."

Most soy beverages attribute isoflavone content to the natural amount present in the soy base. Other soy beverages fortify with additional soy isoflavone extracts. When fortifying, total isoflavone solubility may be of concern. Soy isoflavone concentrates may require binders and an emulsifier or homogenization.

Soymilk and soy-based beverages also contain additional soy protein, which can be added in various forms. For beverages, soy protein isolates and concentrates are the most commonly used.

"There are numerous isolated soy proteins with varying viscosity profiles to help provide the desired consistency in a finished beverage," says Russ Egbert, Ph.D., director of protein applications research for a soy isoflavone and soy protein supplier. "Soy shakes with a smoothie-like viscosity require a high viscosity protein, whereas a high protein shake with the consistency of milk would require a very low viscosity product. Juice-based beverages require special stabilization, the preferred stabilizer being pectin; homogenization is critical in this process."

Egbert points out that, to date, there are no soy proteins that will produce a clear-based liquid beverage. "You can produce a beverage that is slightly cloudy with low levels of soy protein. Clear beverages would require highly hydrolyzed protein products (currently there are no commercial products) and there is no evidence to support the heart health benefits with a highly hydrolyzed soy protein product," he says.

Soy proteins do contribute some beany flavor when added to beverages, however, work continues in soy processing to improve flavor. In addition, the flavor industry offers various masking flavors for soy beverages. "There is also a move in the soy protein market (for beverages) to include masking flavor technology in the powdered soy proteins," notes Egbert. "This should make it easier for beverage manufacturers to produce high quality soy-based products."