The World of Soy Foods
We’ve all heard about soy. We see the soybeans growing in the fields. Perhaps we’ve even harvested them. And we’ve probably heard about the health benefits of eating soy foods. But what exactly are “soy foods?”
Soy Products
Soybeans are used for a wide variety of products. Soy oil is known as a cooking oil. It’s also used for coffee creamers, salad dressings, sandwich spreads and shortenings. Its non-human uses include inks, diesel fuel, anti-static agents, and wallboard, to name just a few. Soy lecithin comes from the oil and is used as a dietary supplement and as an emulsifying agent in some foods. That means it helps to keep the food (like chocolate coatings) uniform.
Soy flour concentrates and isolates are used for industrial items such as adhesives, cosmetics, plastics, inks, leather substitutes, polyesters, and pesticides.
Soy Foods
Soy foods, that is, foods derived from soybeans, also come in a variety of forms. From fresh beans to flour and various dry and wet forms in between, soy foods have lots of ways to make eating soy easy and delicious.
The following table describes some forms of soy foods, their descriptions and where to find them in the grocery store. Soy milk and tofu have mild flavors and absorb the flavor of what they’re cooked or eaten with. Soy flour and soy powder add a nutty taste to whatever they’re added to.
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Soy Foods and How to Use Them |
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Name |
Description |
Where to Buy it? |
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Soy Flour |
Made from roasted soy beans; can replace ¼ of total flour in a recipe |
Baking supplies aisle |
|
Soy Milk |
Milk of the soybean; comes in flavors (regular, chocolate, vanilla, etc.) and in low-fat and non-fat versions |
Dairy aisle or with canned and dry milk |
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Tofu |
Curdled soy milk with the consistency of cheese; can replace cheese in recipes; comes in a variety of textures: silken (smooth and creamy like yogurt), smooth, firm, or extra firm |
Produce or dairy aisle |
|
Meat Alternatives |
Mostly soy protein; flavored like meat; replace all or some of meat in a recipe; includes veggie burgers, soy hot dogs, etc. |
Dairy, produce or freezer aisle |
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Textured Soy Protein (TSP) |
Defatted soy flour; texture like ground beef; rehydrate with boiled water |
Health food store |
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Soy Powder |
Highly refined soy protein; can add to anything |
Health food section or health food store |
Sources: American Soybean Association website and the United Soybean Board. Click on Products Guide, Edible Products, Food Industry, Soy Information Products and Recipes. Then click on Overview of Soy Products or Consumer Recipes.
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Taste of Harvest Newsletter Janet Hackert, Editor hackertj@missouri.edu Last revised: 04/23/04 |
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