February 15, 2007

Ultrasonic to boost soy processing

US scientists have recently concluded that using ultrasonic treatment to soy processing increased the release of soy proteins by 46 percent and sugar yields by 50 percent.

Iowa State University assistant professor Samir Khanal says the ultrasonic treatment also breaks some of the bonds that tie sugars to the soy proteins, thereby improving the quality of the proteins.

The low-cost, sugar-enriched whey can replace an expensive compound used to grow lactic acid bacteria, Khanal said. The bacteria produce nisin, a valuable natural food preservative that's also used in cosmetic and healthcare products such as mouthwash and toothpaste.

The preliminary economic analysis showed the proposed technology could generate revenue up to US$230 million every year from a typical plant producing 400 million pounds of soy protein isolate, said researchers.

They consider this a major breakthrough in the soy processing industry.