Physico chemical characterization of soymilk and soymilk gels: how does processing affect functionality?

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For the past few years, consumer interest for products of superior nutritional quality has increased, and in particular soy-derived products have seen a steady increase. To design high quality products with formulations containing soy we can not simply adjust our known processing practices, but novel processing has to be developed. We are proposing a fundamental study on the physico-chemical properties of soymilk, focusing on the characterization of its colloidal behaviour at first, and then on the mechanisms of the interactions of the various components during processing. To be able to increase the utilization of soy ingredients in foods, it is important to improve our fundamental understanding of the functional properties and the processing behaviour of soy. This work will focus on soymilk as very little is known about the colloidal behaviour of this product. Soymilk is well established as a protein drink, however, very little is known on its stability and gelation behaviour when used as an ingredient or a precursor for other products. In addition, while soy protein is manufactured mostly by large processors abroad, the use of soymilk as ingredient may foster the start of local operations with a marked increase in the impact to the value for growers.