Soy pulp
| Okara | |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | |
| Chinese characters | 雪花菜 |
| Hànyǔ Pīnyīn | xuěhuācài |
| Japanese name | |
| Hiragana | おから |
| Rōmaji | okara |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 비지 |
| Revised Romanisation | biji |
Okara or soy pulp is a white or yellowish pulp consisting of insoluble parts of the soybean which remain in the filter sack when pureed soybeans are filtered in the production of soy milk. It is low in fat, high in fiber, and also contains protein, calcium, iron, and riboflavin.
Okara contains 76 to 80% moisture, 20 to 24% solids and 3.5 to 4.0% protein. On a dry weight basis okara contains 24% protein, 8 to 15% fats,and 12 to 14.5% crude fiber. It contains 17% of the protein from the original soybeans.
While relatively flavourless when eaten on its own, it can be used in stews such as the Korean biji-jjigae, or in porridges, or as a taste neutral addition to bread and pastry doughs. In Japan it is used in a side dish called unohana (卯の花), which consists of okara cooked with soy sauce, mirin, sliced carrots, burdock root and shiitake mushrooms.
However, as a significant byproduct in soy milk and tofu manufacturing, soy pulp is commonly used as animal feed in since its production usually exceeds demands for human consumption. For this reason, it is not uncommon for tofu and soymilk factories to be located in close proximity to animal farms in many Asian countires. In western countries, soy pulp is used almost exclusively for the production of pig and cattle feed.
Okara is the raw material for a "novel" new textile fiber and although it differs from Henry Fords's 1930s "soy silk" in not being pure soy protein it has nevertheless been given the moniker soy silk(See below). It is made in India as a spin-off of tofu production in neighboring countries.
References
Tofu & Soymilk Production.1979. Volume 2: The Book of Tofu. William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi.
External links
- The Okara Cookbook
- History of Soybean Fiber Products. Also contains information on okara's names in different times and languages.
- "Soy silk":