Accelerating Health Innovation™

Multifunctional moves mainstream

This three-page article on soy begins with a review of research related to soy’s health benefits, followed by an overview of some of the functional benefits and properties related to baking applications, and finally a brief section on soy’s future is provided. Some of the studied health benefits of soy relate to lowering cholesterol, benefiting asthma patients, protecting against osteoporosis and some cancers, and also helping with weight control and menopausal symptoms. A 2006 study, however, found the cholesterol-reducing benefits of soy were not as high as once determined, there were mixed findings pertaining to the ingredient’s role in slowing bone loss, and in terms of preventing certain cancers, results were also inconclusive. Two 2007 studies are mentioned in the article that provide support for some of these health conditions, indicating "the debates and studies continue regarding the scope of soy’s healthful potential." In addition to covering the basic functional properties of soy in baking, the article also briefly discusses masking agents and flavor modifiers, and the process of mechanical extraction to strip the oil from soy, while meeting organics standards and avoiding the bitter aftertaste that results from hexane extraction. Due to farmers switching their acreage from soybeans to corn, to use the corn to make ethanol, however, soybean crops are declining "at a time when their demand as both a fuel and a food is climbing, causing prices to escalate." Prices are expected to increase by 40% for the 2007 soybean crop, compared to a year earlier, while at the same time, the USDA is estimating carryover stocks into 2008 at 180 million bushels, which is the lowest they have been since September of 2004.

Baking Management
2/1/2008