An update on the nutritional, functional, sensory characteristics of soy products, and applications of new processing strategies. (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cai, Jia-Shen; Feng, Jing-Yu; Ni, Zhi-Jing; Ma, Run-Hui; Thakur, Kiran; Wang, Shaoyun; Hu, Fei; Zhang, Jian-Guo; Wei, Zhao-Jun
• Is Part Of: Trends in food science & technology. Volume 112(2021)
• Page Start: 676
• Page End: 689
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: Soy products -- Beany flavor -- Cancer -- Isoflavone -- Fermentation -- Functional foods; Food industry and trade -- Periodicals; Food -- Biotechnology -- Periodicals; 664.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2021.04.039
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0924-2244

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Rising health awareness has driven tremendous public interest among food manufacturers and academicians in identifying and developing novel functional foods. Studies on the health-promoting benefits of soy products and their quality improvement measures have become the hotspot across the globe. However, there is limited information summarizing the existing soy products and their improved quality attributes associated with different technical strategies. Scope and approach: New processing strategies (physical, chemical, and biological) applied in the modification of various soy products are summarized and their pre- and post-modified quality attributes are systematically reviewed. The current review also highlights the role of fermentation in enhancing the nutritional, sensory, and health-promoting features of soy products. Key findings and conclusions: Traditionally processed soy products exhibit intrinsic quality defects such as beany flavor, high anti-nutrients content, complex structure, and low bioavailability of soy protein and isoflavones. New processing strategies including blending with extra ingredients, non-thermal treatment, dietary fiber modifications, acid treatment, germination and tailored fermentation could render these soy products with improved nutritional and sensory characteristics, especially, fermentation has been reported to provide soy products with enhanced health-promoting features such as anti-diabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects as well as improving the cardiovascular and bone health. The information accumulated in this review may provide up-to-date evidence supporting diversified soy products as a class of important functional foods. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Traditional soymilk and soy-based beverages face rejection due to undesired beany flavors. Recently, the qualities of soy products are improved by novel biotechnological approaches. Since then, soy consumption is associated with reduced risk of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Particularly, fermentation increases the isoflavone aglycones, phenols, and bioactive peptides.