Food Uses of Soy Protein

Excerpts from the report: Since protein is in short supply in most places in the world, scientists are continually searching for cheaper and better sources of protein. Livestock, fish, and oilseeds are the major high protein sources in the world today. Interest in recent years has centered around protein from soybeans for several reasons. First, the yield of edible protein per acre of soybeans is one of the highest of all plant or animal protein sources. Second, the nutritional quality of soybean protein is the best available from plant sources. With the exception of methionine, soy protein is well-balanced in the 10 essential amino acids and is a valuable source of the B vitamins and essential minerals. Third, soybeans can be grown in a variety of soils and under a wide range of climatic conditions. Several U.S. firms are manufacturing food protein from soybeans and are spending considerable sums of money on research to develop new and improved food uses for this product, although this market is very small compared to that for animal feed. The following discussion is based largely on information gained during visits to several of these firms to learn about new food uses for soybeans.