Development of a Paste-like Soy-based Product for Humanitarian Propose Meng Li University of Maryland
ABSTRACT: YOUR IDEA
Soybeans, as an economic and high quality protein source, contain 40% protein with all 9 essential amino acids [2]. While equivalent or even superior to meat or dairy protein in regard of health benefits, soybeans has much lower environment impacts [3]. After the FDA health claim on the cholesterol lowering effects of soy protein (FDA 1999), USDA issued a ruling allowing soy protein to completely replace animal protein in the National school lunch program (USDA 2000). These advantages of soybean, as well as its abundant yields in United States, make it an ideal resource for malnutrition and post-disaster hunger relief use.
Most recent data revealed that 925 million people are suffering from hunger (FAO 2011), which means every 1 out of 7 people on earth lack the basic resources of food. As a result of hunger, malnutrition causes death, intestinal disorders, immune compromises and other chronic diseases. Natural disasters such as drought and flood also result insecure food supplies. In our study, soybeans are investigated to evaluate their feasibility to function as the main ingredient in meal replacement for malnutrition and disaster relief, because of their high levels of proteins and lipids, long-recognized health promotion effects, as well as abundant yield of soybeans in United States. A paste-like product of soybean was developed, and processing methods were established to reduce four nutritional limiting factors including trypsin inhibitors, non-digestible oligosaccharides, phytic acid and phytoestrogens, allowing this product to better serve special population groups such as children and immune compromised patients. Future steps including flavor adjustment and micronutrients fortification will be done to optimize the performance of this product.
Therefore, this project aimed at developing a nutritious and shelfstable soy-based product to mainly serve but not limited to three demographic groups: (i) kids, elderly, patients suffering from malnutrition; (ii) Post-disaster victims in need of steady food supplies; (iii) Sufferers from hunger around the world. To achieve this goal, novel processing methods will be developed to minimize four limiting factors in soybeans, namely trypsin inhibitor, oligosaccharides, phytic acid and phytoestrogens. Moreover, to become a shelf-stable product adequate for emergency relief efforts, various approaches will be investigated to achieve desirable extension of product shelf life.
Categories and Subject Descriptors [Food for All]; [Food for Sustainable Growth]
Keywords Product development, Alternative protein resources, Soybean, Malnutrition, Disaster relief.
1. INTRODUCTION: AIMS AND BACKGROUND Malnutrition, also referred as undernutrition or undernourishment, is a serious public-health problem that has been linked to a substantial increase of mortality and morbidity [1]. The most important form of malnutrition, protein-energy malnutrition, is mainly resulted by the lack of food resources, particularly in underprivileged populations. Except poverty and lack of feeding practice, uncontrollable natural disaster also causes urgent food insecurity. As those issues getting more and more global attention, considerable efforts have been put into development of emergency or therapeutic food products.
Figure 1. Research scheme
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