With nearly eight billion people living on Earth today and another one billion projected by 2040,1 an abundant source of efficiently produced and nutritionally-rich foods is going to be one of the keys to survival. Fortunately, we have Glycine max, more commonly known as the soybean, to help meet the nutritional needs of the growing population.
Originally domesticated in northeastern China during the 11th century BC,2 production of this legume has since spread to North and South America, Europe, South Asia and Africa. In 2015, global production reached a record 320 million metric tons,3equivalent to 41 kilos, or over 90 pounds of soybeans for every man, woman and child on the planet today. The United States is currently the world’s largest soybean producer, accounting for one-third of global production.
Although the vast majority of the total soybean supply is processed into high protein soybean meal for animal feed and vegetable oil for cooking, a significant portion is processed directly into a variety of soyfoods and soy ingredients for human consumption. These foods include well-known products such as tofu, soymilk, miso and soy sauce, as well as edamame, natto, soy flour, tempeh, yuba and many other traditional and modern food products.
A Food Chameleon
One of the most valuable attributes of the soybean is its unique ability to be used in a wide variety of food applications including as a beverage, center-of-the-plate protein, dried bean, baking flour, snack food, fresh green vegetable, cultured product, dessert or baked good. In addition, the soybean’s relatively neutral flavor profile and unique macronutrient composition lends itself easily into being adapted in a variety of forms for regional cooking preferences.
A Traditional Food of Asia
Most people are familiar with the wonderfully varied, traditional soyfoods of Asia. These foods include tofu, with its diverse forms and textures; soymilk beverages extracted from cooked, soaked and strained soybeans; fermented soy pastes and sauces such as miso and soy sauce; and the unusual, but tasty cultured whole bean products such as tempeh from Indonesia and natto from Japan.
In many Asian countries, tofu is eaten daily in a variety of forms including silken, pressed, dry, baked, fried, fermented and even “stinky tofu,” known for its pungent odor and blue veins of mold.
Given the significant changes in work and living patterns in Asia over the past few decades, convenience foods are growing in importance. As a result, sales of soymilk in aseptic packages are growing, as are soymilk powder products, sold in single-serve sachets or pouches to make one liter of soymilk in the home.
Due to the widespread traditional use of soyfoods in their daily diets, Asians consume the highest amount of soybeans as direct food in the world today, estimated to be between 20 and 50 grams of soybean or equivalent as processed food, each day.4
Americanized Soyfoods
In North America, soy products have been incorporated into mainstream diets in a number of ways. While traditional soyfoods such as tofu and tempeh can be readily found in most supermarkets, American consumers have preferred “Americanized” versions of these traditional foods, such as burgers, chicken, frozen entrees and meat alternatives. As well, soymilk consumed in the U.S. is formulated to be a dairy alternative, fortified with calcium and vitamins and flavored to be more milk-like in taste than the traditional soymilk consumed in Asia.5
Latin American Soyfoods
Throughout Latin America, soyfoods have become well accepted due to their high nutritional quality and adaptability into traditional food preparations.
In Mexico, the leading brand of soymilk, Ades®, made by Unilever, is sold as either a high protein dairy alternative or a soy-fruit beverage. As fruit and fruit juice consumption is high throughout Latin America, soy-fruit beverages have been well accepted throughout Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. Popular flavors include soy with orange as well as grape, mango, apple, pineapple and peach. In the soy-fruit drinks, the protein content is lower than in products being sold as a dairy alternative.
Along with ready to drink soymilk, Mexico is a large market for powdered soymilk products. These instant beverage mixes are sold in sachets and cans and come in plain and flavored varieties. There are numerous brands on the market and they are made with isolated soy protein or spray-dried soymilk as the base ingredient, along with flavors and sweeteners.6
Mexico is also a large market for sausage products such as the chorizo. Textured soy proteins (TSP) are commonly used in Mexico as both a processing aid – they help to bind fat and water and to increase the protein level and overall nutritional profile of the final product while keeping costs low. It is not unusual to see two types of the same sausage being sold alongside each other in stores, with the less expensive product stating that it contains soy protein.
Beginning in the 1960’s in Guatemala, Alimentos S.A., a division of a major food and brewery group in that country, began to produce and market a mineral-fortified maize and vegetable protein flour product under the name INCAPARINA®. The name was derived from the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP), where the product was originally developed by Dr. Ricardo Bressani as an economical and highly nutritious food for children after breastfeeding. In 1995, soy flour was added to the formulation to improve the overall protein quality. Since the product’s introduction over 50 years ago, Alimentos has launched a number of products under the INCAPARINA® brand, the most recent being a ready to drink single-serve portion in aseptic packaging. According to the company, INCAPARINA® can be found in 80 percent of Guatemalan homes and has 90 percent brand recognition across the population.7
In Brazil, the world’s second largest producer of soybeans, soymilk reigns as the leading soyfood product in the market, followed by a selection of vegetarian burgers and tofu. The two largest brands of soymilk are Sollys®, produced by Nestlé, and Ades®. Both brands offer a plain, dairy alternative soymilk as well as soy and juice blends.
In Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, there are multiple brands of aseptically packaged soymilk and soy-juice blends on the shelves, as well as numerous powdered soymilk products. While some of these products are being imported, there is processing and packaging occurring at a number of the larger, regional dairy plants.
Africa
Africa is the world’s second most populous continent with nearly 1.2 billion people and some 54 countries. Due to a need for low-cost protein across the region, soy products are becoming increasingly important in Africa.
In the West African country of Nigeria, the growing market for soymilk was catalyzed by the importation of Vitamilk® from Thailand’s largest soymilk producer, Green Spot. This glass bottle product, requiring no refrigeration, was readily accepted for its high protein, high fat and high energy content. Consumers appreciated the rich, sweet flavor and the high caloric content. Now that a significant market has become established, local production has begun of soymilk and soy-juice blends in aseptic cartons.
Ghana has followed a somewhat similar path to that of Nigeria. The markets are full of imported soymilks in glass bottles and aseptic cartons and Ghanaians appreciate the taste and nutritional benefits of soymilk. Local production has started in Ghana as well and this will likely lead to greater distribution, lower prices and increased consumption.
In yet another West African country, Cote d’Ivoire, there are now significant volumes of TSP being utilized in school feeding programs to ensure that young children get adequate amounts of high-quality protein needed for proper development. This initiative came about as a result of work done by the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) which worked with the School Canteen Directorate that runs the school nutrition programs, and the National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL). The team introduced Ivorian program managers and cooks to the adaptability and the acceptability of soy to the children and cooks. The TSP worked well in local dishes and cooking methods and was much less expensive than the traditional canned meat and fish that had been filling their protein needs. In 2015, the Directorate ordered 165 metric tons of additional TSP, ensuring continuation of the program through the 2016 school year.
At the southern extremes of the African continent lies the vibrant country of South Africa. This diverse country has a varied and well-developed food industry and market consisting of traditional African staples as well as European-and Indian-influenced cuisine. With soymilk, soy-fortified cereals and flavored soya mince (textured soy protein) available at virtually all supermarkets, South Africans seem to have accepted soyfoods and soy protein as a valuable contribution to the diet. In addition, South Africa has become the continent’s largest producer of soybeans and plans to continue to expand production in rotation with the country’s maize (corn) crop.8
The largest soymilk processor in Africa, Good Hope International Beverages, sits just a few miles from the port in Cape Town and produces a wide range of soymilk beverages in aseptic cartons. Products made by Good Hope can be found in many countries across Sub-Sahara Africa.
Dry soya mince is sold in bags or boxes and requires soaking prior to use. Once soaked, it is spiced and prepared like ground meat and served on top of the traditional ‘pap,’ or cooked maize meal, that is a staple throughout much of Africa.
There are also a number of soy-fortified breakfast cereals on the market in South Africa. Most of these are made of corn meal with the addition of isolated soy proteins, which contribute the greatest amount of protein per gram and have a neutral taste.
India
In the South Asian country of India, a vibrant soyfoods industry and market has developed. While the soybean is not native to India, production of soy has increased significantly over the past 20 years and has made the country a major supplier of soybeans to the world market.
With uniquely flavored soymilks such as pistachio, mango, rose, cardamom, as well as the conventional vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, Indian soymilk processors have put a decidedly Indian spin on these products. Produced by a range of small, medium and large processors, these products are available in glass retort bottles and aseptic packaging.
TSP is also widely available and is prepared both in homes and restaurants as a meat alternative. Tofu, or what may also be called “soy paneer” can be found in many shops as plain or highly spiced products. Soy nuts, or roasted whole soybeans, are widely available in markets and kiosks and consumed primarily as a snack food.
The European Market
The soyfoods market in Europe has developed similarly to that in the United States. While there is acceptance of traditional Asian soyfoods based on their unique cultural roots, most Europeans are familiar with soymilk. Alpro, the largest soymilk processor in the EU, has processing plants in Belgium and the U.K. from which it distributes soymilk products across the continent and to other global markets. In addition to ready-to-drink beverages, the company produces soymilk-based yogurts. The EU market has a number of other major players, and products can be found in every country and every supermarket across the continent.
The market for soy-based meat alternatives is also significant in the EU with many upscale products being positioned as plant-based and sustainable alternative foods.
Given current consumer focus on sustainability and growing acceptance of plant-based foods and proteins, the soybean will certainly be playing an expansive role in feeding humankind well into the future.
References:
1. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2015). World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision, Key Findings and Advance Tables. Working paper No. ESA/P/WP.241: 1-2.
2. Shurtleff, William; History of Soybeans and Soyfoods in China and Taiwan. Soyinfo Center, 2014: p 5.
3. USDA, ERS, FAS, AMS, FSA; World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, WASDE – 550, February 9, 2016: Table WASDE – 550 - 28
4. Golbitz, P., World Demand for Soybeans for Food; presentation to the 2006 USB/Soyfoods Association of North America Soy Symposium; slide 12, Soyfoods for Direct Food by Country, Top 25 by Annual Per Capita Consumption.
5. Jordan, J., Soyfoods in U.S. Retail 2014; Katahdin Ventures, 2014: 8
6. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service; The Mexican Market for Soy Beverages; Maria de Lourdes Guzman Contro; May, 2009: 3-5
7. Estrategia Humana; WordPress.com; The Background and History of INCAPARINA; Nevin S. Scrimshaw; United Nations University Press
8. USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service; World Agricultural Production, February 2016: Table 11
Peter Golbitz is president of Agromeris, an advisory firm that focuses on the unique needs of the specialty agricultural products marketplace. He has authored numerous articles and publications on soybean products and published a cookbook, Tofu and Soyfoods Cookery. Prior to founding Agromeris, Golbitz was the president of Soyatech, publisher of the Soya & Oilseed Bluebook and was the director of International Business Development for SunOpta, a leading U.S. specialty soybean processor. Golbitz is on the board of directors of the Sustainable Food Trade Association, and an active member of the Soyfoods Association of North America and the Organic Trade Association.