Study Reveals Impact of Processing on Soy Protein Quality

A growing demand for plant-based protein-rich products for human consumption has led to increased interest in the protein quality of soy and the impact of processing methods. Soy products typically undergo various processing techniques, but little is known about how these methods affect the protein nutritional quality. To address this gap, a quantitative review was conducted to assess the indispensable amino acid composition and digestibility of different soy products.

The review included in-vivo and in-vitro studies to calculate digestibility indispensable amino acids scores (DIAAS) and protein digestibility corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS) for various soy products. The results revealed that overall, soy products have high protein quality scores, with mean DIAAS and PDCAAS values indicating good protein quality. However, differences were observed between different soy product groups, with variations in protein quality scores within these groups.

The study highlighted that factors such as post-processing methods, additional heat-treatment, moisture conditions, and study conditions can impact protein quality scores. For example, post-processing treatments like alkaline-heat treatment were found to decrease protein quality, while boiling soybeans at high temperatures increased protein quality.

The review emphasized the importance of understanding how processing and post-processing methods influence protein quality in soy products. It also underscored the need for further research to explore the impact of these factors on protein quality in other plant-based protein sources. By gaining a better understanding of these influences, it will be possible to optimize protein quality in plant-based products for human consumption.

In conclusion, the study confirmed that the majority of soy products exhibit high protein quality scores. Processing and post-processing conditions can both enhance or reduce protein quality, underscoring the importance of considering these factors in the production of plant-based protein-rich products. Additional experimental studies are recommended to further investigate the impact of processing on protein quality in plant-based protein sources.