2005 Year in Review

Soyfoods Research Helps Illinois Farmers

The health benefits of soyfoods are well-documented and well- known, driving the expansion of the soyfoods market in recent years. Yet, in the United States and throughout the rest of the developed world, widespread consumption of soyfoods has been limited by consumer misperception and a still limited number of highly acceptable food products in the marketplace.

Researchers at Southern Illinois University and the University of Illinois are "doing their homework" as they look beyond traditional methods to improve profit opportunities for soybean farmers. These checkoff-funded researchers-as part of a larger effort to promote the consumption of soyfoods-are in school lunch cafeterias to look at expanding soyfood options for Illinois students, thereby increasing the demand for Illinois soybeans.

A unique research partnership between Illinois soybean farmers and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) will help incorporate soyfoods into the state's school lunch program through a pilot project that could be replicated nationwide. School districts in Danville, Murphysboro, Pekin, and Decatur were included in the first phase of the project.

The partnership, which is the first-of-its-kind to introduce soy into the school lunch program, developed foods with soy protein-such as chili, enhanced chicken nuggets, ravioli, and spaghetti sauce-that can be incorporated easily into school lunches. Students showed virtually no differences in their acceptance of soy-based Chili and Spaghetti as compared to meat based entrées. While the preference for soy-based nuggets was slightly less than that of chicken nuggets, consumption was over 75% for both types, indicating that soy-based nuggets could still be served and still achieve acceptance.

School lunch programs are universally available in Illinois public schools and must meet specific federal and state standards for nutritional quality. The school lunch programs in Illinois, as well as the rest of the United States, generally do not use significant quantities of soyfoods or soy milk. Schools make soymilk available to children, and once rule-making is finalized, the federal government will reimburse school lunch programs for the cost.

The offering of vegetarian foods and soy-fortified meats is extremely limited, in part because the school food service preparers are unfamiliar with them and because soyfoods are not easily available from institutional vendors.

Excessive calories and fat in school lunches is a serious problem, given the fact that obesity - even among school children - has assumed epidemic proportions in the U.S. From a nutritional standpoint, many of the current school lunch menus in Illinois exceed the recommended levels of calories, fat and saturated fat. Soy protein has the potential of providing a cost efficient solution for controlling the amount of fat, while simultaneously improving the overall nutritional profile of school lunch food.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has encouraged the use of more fruits and vegetables in the school lunch program in order to decrease the fat and energy values of the menus. Using soy is yet another way to increase variety in the school lunch menu and potentially decrease the fat content. But too few decision makers know this. Therefore the research team is helping to educate school lunch decision makers about the availability of soy products and the potential role of soy in menu planning and in preventing or treating childhood obesity.

Some Soyfoods Facts:
Soy protein is a plant protein that is nearly equivalent to animal protein. Soyfoods contain all nine essential amino acids. The U.S. Department of Agriculture evaluates protein quality using the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acids Score (PDCAAS). PDCAAS measures the amino acid pattern of proteins and factors in digestibility. Soy protein has a PDCAAS score of 1.0, equivalent to animal protein.

Soyfoods contain isoflavones. Isoflavones are a form of phytocompounds that have a chemical structure very similar to estrogen. Soy is uniquely rich in isoflavones, primarily genistein and daidzein. These isoflavones in soyfoods are thought to contribute to many of the protective effects that soy has shown in animal and in vitro studies.

Numerous fortified soymilks on the market today contain nutrients in levels similar to cow's milk and are good sources of calcium, vitamin A, riboflavin and phosphorus, as well as many other vitamins and minerals. Most soymilks are fortified with 300-400 milligrams of calcium, 120 IU of vitamin D, 500 milligrams of vitamin A and 3 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 8 ounces. Soymilk contains no cholesterol and is low in saturated fat.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
July 19, 2005