Soy milk

Soy milk
Chinese name
Chinese	1. 豆漿(T)/豆浆(S) 2. 豆奶 3. 豆花水 4. 豆腐漿(T)/豆腐浆(S)
Literal meaning	1. bean thick liquid 2. bean milk 3. bean flower water 4. bean thick liquid
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin 1. dòu jiāng 2. dòu nǎi 3. dòu huā shuǐ 4. dòu fu jiāng Wu Romanization 1. [dɤɯ tɕiã] 4. [dɤɯ vʊ tɕiã] Southern Min Hokkien POJ 3. tau hoe chúi
Korean name
Hangul	두유
Hanja	豆乳
Japanese name
Kanji	豆乳
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn tōnyū

Soy milk (also called soya milk, soymilk, soybean milk, or soy juice) and sometimes referred to as soy drink/beverage is a beverage made from soybeans. A stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein, it is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with 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 coagulated protein from soy milk can be made into tofu, just as dairy milk can be made into cheese.

Origins

The oldest evidence of soy milk production is from China where a kitchen scene proving use of soy milk is incised on a stone slab dated around AD 25–220. It also appeared in a chapter called Four Taboos (Szu-Hui) in the AD 82 book called Lunheng by Wang Chong, possibly the first written record of soy milk. Evidence of soy milk is rare prior to the 20th century and widespread usage before then is unlikely.

According to popular tradition in China, soy milk was developed by Liu An for medicinal purposes, although there is no historical evidence for this legend. This legend first started in the 12th century and was not clearly stated until late 15th century in Bencao Gangmu, where Li was attributed to the development of tofu with no mention of soy milk. Later writers in Asia and the West additionally attributed development of soy milk to Liu An, assuming that he could not have made tofu without making soy milk. However, it is also likely that Liu An has been falsely attributed to the development of tofu by writers after his time. However, some recent writers attributed Liu An to have developed tofu in 164 BC.

Translations of "soy milk" in Asian languages

The most common Chinese terms for soy milk are "豆漿" (Pinyin: dòu jiāng; lit. bean + a thick liquid) and "豆奶" (Pinyin: dòu nǎi; lit. bean + milk).

The Japanese term for soy milk is tōnyū (豆乳, lit. bean + milk).

In Korea, "두유(豆乳)" is the word for representing soy milk. "두" and "유" represent soy and milk respectively.

In Singapore, it is known as tau-huey-tzui (豆花水, POJ:tau hoe chúi) in the local Hokkien dialect while in Malaysia it is known as "susu soya" or "air tauhu" in the local Malay language.

In Vietnamese, the word for soy milk is sữa đậu nành .

Prevalence

Greek Café Frappé prepared with soy milk, topped with additional cinnamon

Plain soy milk is unsweetened, although some soy milk products are sweetened. Salted soy milk is prevalent in China.

The drink is very popular in the hawker culture of Malaysia, with it being a standard offering accompanying meals at Malaysian Chinese stalls. In Malaysia, soybean milk is usually flavoured with either white or brown sugar syrup. The consumer also has the option to add grass jelly, known as leong fan or "cincau" (in the Malay language) to the beverage. Sellers of soybean milk in Penang usually also offer bean curd, a related custard-like dessert, known to the locals as tau hua which is flavored with the same syrup as the soybean milk. In Indonesian is known as "susu kedele". Yeo's, a drink manufacturer in Singapore and Malaysia, markets a commercialized tinned or boxed version of soybean milk.

The drink is slowly becoming popular in India as well. Soy has originally been introduced by Mahatma Gandhi in 1935. Nowadays, it is also widely sold in Tetrapaks by various brands like Staeta.

In the West, soymilk has become a popular alternative to cow's milk, with a roughly similar protein and fat content. Soy milk is commonly available in vanilla and chocolate flavors as well as its original unflavored form. In some Western countries where veganism has made inroads, it is available upon request at cafés and coffee franchises as a cow's milk substitute.

Health

Health benefits and risks

Soy milk 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 humans. 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 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, a very rare condition. It also does not contain lactose, which makes it a good alternative for lactose-intolerant people. For patients without conditions that limit which sugars they can consume, there is no evidence to support any sugar-related health benefit or detriment to consuming soy milk instead of cow's milk.

Soy milk varies in fat content, but the most commonly sold varieties have less fat than whole milk, similar fat content to 2% milk, and more fat than skim/nonfat milk. Soy milk generally contains less saturated fat than both whole and 2% milk, but more than skim/nonfat milk.

Though it has been suggested that soy consumption is associated with a reduction in low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol") and triglycerides, a 2006 study of a decade of soy protein consumption found no association between health benefits (such as cardiovascular health or cancer rates) and soy intake, nor was a benefit found for women undergoing menopause. The benefits of soy were found to be related to their ability to replace animal protein, foods high in saturated fats, add dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Research has debunked claims that soy affects sperm quality and bone mineral density.

Preparation

Soy milk can be made from whole soybeans or full-fat soy flour. The dry beans are soaked in water overnight or for a minimum of 3 hours or more depending on the temperature of the water. The rehydrated beans then undergo wet grinding with enough added water to give the desired solids content to the final product. The ratio of water to beans on a weight basis should be about 10:1. The resulting slurry or purée is brought to a boil in order to improve its nutritional value by heat inactivating soybean trypsin inhibitor, improve its flavor and to sterilize the product. Heating at or near the boiling point is continued for a period of time, 15–20 minutes, followed by the removal of an insoluble residue (soy pulp fiber or okara) by filtration.

There is a simple yet profound difference between traditional Chinese and Japanese soy milk processing: the Chinese method boils the filtrate (soy milk) after a cold filtration, while the Japanese method boils the slurry first, followed by hot filtration of the slurry. The latter method results in a higher yield of soy milk but requires the use of an anti-foaming agent or natural defoamer during the boiling step. Bringing filtered soy milk to a boil avoids the problem of foaming. It is generally opaque, white or off-white in color, and approximately the same consistency as cow's milk.

For all raw soybean protein products, heat is necessary to destroy the activity of the protease inhibitors naturally present in the soybean. The pancreas naturally secretes proteases to digest a protein meal. Eating raw soybeans on a regular basis causes the pancreas to hypersecrete, leading to benign tumors of the pancreas.

When soybeans absorb water, the endogenous enzyme, Lipoxygenase (LOX), EC 1.13.11.12 linoleate:oxidoreductase, catalyzes a reaction between polyunsaturated fatty acids and oxygen {hydroperoxidation}. LOX initiates the formation of free radicals, which can then attack other cell components. Soybean seeds are the richest known sources of LOXs. It is thought to be a defensive mechanism by the soybean against fungal invasion.

In 1967, experiments at Cornell University and the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva, NY led to the discovery that paint-like, off-flavors of traditional soy milk can be prevented from forming by a rapid hydration grinding process of dehulled beans at temperatures above 80 °C. The quick moist heat treatment inactivates the LOX enzyme before it can have a significant negative effect on flavor. All modern bland soy milks have been heat treated in this manner to destroy LOX.

Normal mature soybeans actually contain three LOX isozymes (SBL-1, SBL-2, and SBL-3) important for undesirable flavor development. One or more of these isozymes have recently (1998) been removed genetically from soybeans yielding soy milk with less cooked beany aroma and flavor and less astringency. An example of a triple LOX-free soybean is the American soybean named "Laura".

The University of Illinois has developed a soy milk that makes use of the entire soybean. What would normally constitute "insolubles" are ground so small by homogenization as to be in permanent suspension.

Commercial products labeled "soy drink" in the West are commonly sold in countries where the word "milk" is available by law only for cow milk. Examples: Australia, Canada, Europe. Any notions that "soy drink" would be a diluted low quality soy milk are false, one quick look at the ingredients of any common "soy drink" is enough to debunk this urban legend.

Cooking

A bowl of soy milk soup seasoned with salt and vinegar, with vegetables and wonton dumplings.

Bottled soy milk as sold in Thailand

Soy milk is found in many vegan and vegetarian food products and can be used as a replacement for cow's milk in many recipes.

"Sweet" and "salty" soy milk are both traditional Chinese breakfast foods, served either hot or cold, usually accompanied by breads like mantou (steamed rolls), youtiao (deep-fried dough), and shaobing (sesame flatbread). The soy milk is typically sweetened by adding cane sugar or, sometimes, simple syrup. "Salty" soy milk is made with a combination of chopped pickled mustard greens, dried shrimp and, for curdling, vinegar, garnished with youtiao croutons, chopped scallion (spring onions), cilantro (coriander), meat floss (肉鬆; ròu sōng), or shallot as well as sesame oil, soy sauce, chili oil or salt to taste.

Soy milk is used in many kinds of Japanese cuisine, such as in making yuba as well as sometimes a base soup for nabemono.

In Korean cuisine, soy milk is used as a soup for making kongguksu, cold noodle soup eaten mostly in summer.

Tofu is produced from soy milk by further steps of curdling and then draining.

Soy milk is also used in making soy yogurt, soy cream, soy kefir and soy based cheese analogues.

Nutrition and health information

Nutrients in 8 ounces (250 ml) of plain soymilk:

	Regular Soymilk	Lite Soymilk (reduced fat)	Whole cow milk	Fat-free cow milk
Calories (kcal)	140	100	149	83
Protein (g)	10.0	4.0	7.7	8.3
Fat (g)	4.0	2.0	8.0	0.2
Carbohydrate (g)	14.0	16.0	11.7	12.2
Lactose (g)	0.0	0.0	11.0	12.5
Sodium (mg)	120	100	105	103
Iron (mg)	1.8	0.6	0.07	0.07
Riboflavin (mg)	0.1	11.0	0.412	0.446
Calcium (mg)	80.0	80.0	276	299

Ecological impact

Using soybeans to make milk instead of raising cows may be ecologically advantageous, because the amount of soy that could be grown using the same amount of land would feed more people than if used to raise cows. Cows require much more energy in order to produce milk, since the farmer must feed the animal, which can consume up to 24 kilograms (53 pounds) of food in dry matter (DM) basis and 90 to 180 litres (25 to 50 gallons) of water a day, producing an average of 40 kilograms of milk a day. Because the soybean plant is a legume, it also replenishes the nitrogen content of the soil in which it is grown.

In Brazil, the explosion of soybean cultivation has led to losing large tracts of forest land leading to ecological damage. However, these cleared forests are planted with soy intended for animal agricultural enterprises (especially beef and pork production), not for human consumption.

The American soil scientist Dr. Andrew McClung was the first to devise a method to grow soybeans in the Cerrado region of Brazil. He was awarded with the 2006 World Food Prize.

See also

• Hemp milk
• Chinese cuisine
• Dairy (animal) milk
• Douzhi
• Plant milk
• Soy milk maker
• Tofu (soy milk curd)

References

• Rahab Waweru, M.A., et al. 1967. Effect of processing methods on oxidative off-flavors of soybean milk. Cereal and Food Sciences North Nairobi State University, Ministry of Agriculture. "Soy Milk". Soya.be. Soya. Retrieved August 17, 2005.
• Torres-Penaranda, A.V., et al.1998. Sensory characteristics of soymilk and tofu made from Lipoxygenase-Free and Normal soybeans. Journal of Food Science 63 (6): 1084-1087.
• Smith, A.K. and Circle, S.J. 1972. Soybeans: Chemistry and Technology. AVI publishing.
• Calvert, John (2000). Soymilk Microenterprise: A Treatise on Small-Scale Soymilk Production
• William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi (1979). Tofu & Soymilk Production. Lafayette, California: New-Age Foods Study Center.
• William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi (2000). Tofu & Soymilk Production. 3rd edition. Lafayette, California: Soyfoods Center. ISBN 0-933332-72-6.
• William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi (1994). Soymilk and soymilk products - Bibliography and sourcebook, 1500 to 1993: Detailed information on 3,120 published documents (extensively annotated bibliography), 968 commercial soymilk products, 506 original interviews (many full text) and overviews, 462 unpublished archival documents. Lafayette, California: Soyfoods Center. ISBN 0-933332-84-X.
• Liu, KeShun.1997. Soybeans: Chemistry, Technology, and Utilization. Chapman & Hall.
• Ang, Catharina Y. W., KeShun Liu, and Yao-Wen Huang, eds. (1999). Asian Foods: Science & Technology. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Technomic Publishing Co.
• Berk, Zeki. Technology of production of edible flours and protein products from soybeans. FAO (UN). 1992.
• Frank M. Sacks MD, et a. (2006) Soy Protein, Isoflavones, and Cardiovascular Health. An American Heart Association Science Advisory for Professionals From the Nutrition Committee in Circulation.

External links

• Cornell University Food and Brand Lab
• Soy Allergy Information Page Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America