SOY BASED FOOD PRODUCTS*.
Right now protein deficit in the diet of a modern
person is estimated, on the average, at 30-35%. Underprivileged
people, teenagers and children belong to the category, which
is hit the hardest by protein deprivation. According to some
expert conclusions, proteins deficit in Ukraine reaches up
to 40%.
One of the effective ways to compensate the
proteins deficit is an active introduction of protein-rich
products manufactured from leguminous plants, namely, soy,
peas, kidney beans in the diet of a modern person.
Legumes, especially soy beans, contain:
- up to 20% of high-quality fats (over 60% of these fats
consists of polyunsaturated fatty acids);
- up to 40% of proteins are represented by a wide range
of amino acids (including 8 essential amino acids);
- up to 35% of carbohydrates, including high content of
poly- and monosaccharides, and fiber essential for digestion
system;
- a complex of mineral compounds and vitamins, first of
all B and D vitamin groups.
Introduction of soy products in the diet of a modern person
actually allows to fully compensate the amino acids and fats
deficit mentioned earlier, which in combination with their
low cost makes them especially attractive for Ukrainian citizens.
Introduction of soy products in schools and army rations
is especially important, as well as in the penitentiary facilities.
Protein-starved convicts suffer from mass diseases, such as
pulmonary tuberculosis.
In addition to unique nutritive qualities of soy beans,
they also have a number of therapeutic qualities, according
to many scientists at home and abroad:
- antineoplastic qualities: incorporation
of soy beans products in a person’s diet decreases the risk
of cancer and prevents malignant cells spreading;
- reduction of cholesterol content in the body:
the soy beans proteins reduce the cholesterol level;
- prevention of heart diseases: the soy
beans proteins reduce the risk of atherosclerosis;
- osteoporosis: microelements contained
in soy reduce calcium drain from bones;
- diabetes: making soy proteins part of
one’s diet boosts insulin effectiveness and reduces blood
sugar level.
These considerations brought soy products to an honored position
in the therapeutic and dietary nutrition.
In 1930 the volume of soy production in the USSR exceeded
the soy production in the USA almost by a half.Right now the
situation is the opposite - the Unites States produce and
consume scores of times more soy products than all countries,
which used to be part of the Warsaw treaty.Having realized
the need, the Slavic nations actively expand the sown areas
(e.g. in Ukraine the total area of soy fields doubles every
year). However, the consumption of soy and soy products grows
very slowly.There are several reasons for such a “cold” attitude
towards soy beans:
- Today the market is filled primarily with textured soy
products with long shelf life:chops, "soy meat",
etc. The nutritive value of these products with thermo-oxidized
fats, decomposed vitamins, etc. is rather doubtful, especially
considering the fact that imported products are often brought
in on the verge of storage term expiration.
- The second reason is that due to imperfections of processing
technologies applied by the domestic manufacturers, the
harmful ingredients contained in soy (trypsin inhibitor
and urease) causing digestion depression and discomfort,
are not destroyed to the safe level.
- The third reason is the fact that meat and milk manufacturers
launched an active anti-soy campaign, because they see in
soy a threat to their position in the food market. They
use far-fetched arguments about consequences of genetic
engineering, a higher risk of tumors, etc.Ironically, the
meat products manufacturers actively use soy, for example,
as a sausage ingredient. The consumers, who pay for meat
sausage, in reality get a soy sausage, with soy flour content
up to 50-70%, instead of 15-18% content claimed in the recipe.
Soy processing methods can be divided into two groups. The
first one covers the production of “dry” products, such as
flour, grits, soy cake, etc. Alongside with the advantages
of this method, including long shelf life, come its disadvantages:
high cost (roughly, U$ 0.67 to 1.26 per 1lb). In addition
to significant losses of vitamins content, thermal proteins
decomposition and oxidization of unsaturated acids, as well
as the high cost makes such methods and end products not very
appealing for Ukrainians.
The second group of soy products is manufactured utilizing
the “wet” technology; the Canadian or the Chinese technologies
are most often applied here. The “soy cow” equipment is intended
for soy milk production. Such technology has a number of drawbacks,
the most important being a high energy consumption (~1.14
kW•h per 1 lb of soy beans). Besides, the soy processing losses
amount to 20% of the initial soy beans weight. The losses
in the form of liquid waste lead to environment pollution.
The suggested TEKMASH® equipment and technology
allows carrying out a full wasteless processing of soy beans,
peas, wheat.
Moreover, the end products comprising pates, pastes, and
creamy products keep the entire complex of amino acids, fats
and vitamins contained in soy beans before processing.
That is why the utmost importance of inexpensive
soy processing methods allowing to keep unique therapeutic
properties of soy beans is evident.
In our opinion the time has come to shift emphasis from commonplace
calories and chemical composition information about product
to the information on the degree of its wholesomeness judged
from the standpoint of its complex influence on human body.
Sounds strange, but the concept of wholesome products clearly
accepted by everyone in theory, unfortunately still keeps
floating in the thin air, popping up in people’s minds only
after another emergency occurs.
Thus, on November 14, 2003 ITAR-TASS informed that Mr. Gennadiy
Onyshchenko, the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian
Federation, suspended the sales of Humana, Remedia, Baby Sitter
babies’ milk mixes, and some other brands produced in Germany
and Israel on 11.14.03. The ban was caused by mass food poisonings
registered abroad (even with fatal outcomes). Babies were
fed with baby mixes of the specified manufacturers. According
to the information of the Ministry of Health Care in Israel,
these products did not contain enough vitamins of group B,
especially B1 vitamin so richly contained in soy and essential
for digestion in a child organism.
Not claiming a 100% scientifically rooted argumentation,
we make a hypothesis based on the principle that “nature has
no surplus” assuming that soy beans consist of a well balanced
composition of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, microelements
and vitamins, which harmonically fit into one integral complex,
which is essential and sufficient for its full assimilation
by living organisms. It is clear that even a partial loss
of these components in the processing will lead to a consequent
loss of its therapeutic properties and creation of yet another
artificial, “dead” product badly assimilated by an organism.
When viewing a soy bean as the Lord’s creation, unique and
harmonic by its composition and therapeutic impact on a living
organism, a rough interference of men in the Creator's masterpiece
(which happens now during the processing) becomes inadmissible…
Hence the understanding that the approach when soy is viewed
strictly as a source of a cheap vegetable oil and protein
is wrong.
It is probably time to print on labels not just the amount
of vitamins and microelements contained in a product, but
also the amount of missing elements essential for full assimilation
of this product. Perhaps, it should even be made a legal requirement
for food products manufacturers.
Logically, when this information becomes available to a
consumer, he should look for missing ingredients in other
food products on his own (!).
Since such an approach is unlikely to take place, the issue
of creating a mild processing technology, which will allow
to keep the original properties of a soy bean is of special
importance.
From this perspective, taking into consideration a huge
importance of such mild technology for people’s health, we
can bring about not just a commercial aspect, but also a social
aspect of the discussed topic.
Further you will see a brief description of the hydrodynamic
processing technology, which enables the production of a wholesome
product range keeping the most of the unique soy bean properties.
The issue of the place and quality of the suggested technology
will also be briefly discussed.
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