Although soy milk is a very good source of nutrient with high biological value, the presence of anti-nutritional factors affects its nutrition quality and limits bioavailability of the nutrients. The effects of soaking duration and combination of soaking and grinding (hot or cold) on phytate, lipoxygenase, urease, trypsin inhibitor activity, protein solubility and other nutrient contents were investigated. Soaking alone at 55 and 60oC for different durations was found effective for the reduction of lipoxygense activity. Combination of soaking, blanching (80oC for 10 min) and hot grinding (100oC) significantly (P>0.05) reduced urease activity, more than 80% phytate activity and deactivated trypsin inhibitor, but did not affect protein solubility. Meanwhile, protein solubility (10–15%) was increased due to hot grinding. Soy milk extracted from soaking at 55 and 60oC for 2, 4 and 6 h with hot grinding provided higher protein content compared to cold grinding. Increase in soaking temperature from 55 to 60oC increased the extracted solid content having a potential fraction of lipid. Increasing soaking time from 4 to 6 h did not show any significant difference in terms of phytate inhibition, urease activity reduction, trypsin inhibition and protein solubility except lipoxygenase activity. The results suggested that soaking of soybean at 60oC for 6 h and hot grinding (100oC) with blanching at 80oC for 10 min is the best for reducing anti-nutrient and retaining nutrient activity for soy milk and other soy-based products.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(1): 158-163, April 2018

Aloe Vera leaves have great potential as an economic supplement with an adequate nutritional profile. The current study aimed to fortify plain (loaf) cakes with Aloe Vera leaf gel (AVG) powder. AVG was freeze-dried to produce Aloe Vera powder (ALP), and four plain (loaf) cakes were prepared with different proportions of ALP (0, 4, 6, and 8%). ALP contained significantly (p < 0.05) more protein (22.23 vs. 12.24), ash (19.83 vs. 0.64), and iron (175 vs. 3.05) than refined wheat flour (RWF). Along with total polyphenols and total flavonoids, ALP demonstrated good antioxidant activity. ALP-cakes and RWF-cakes were also evaluated for their nutritional and functional properties. The addition of 6 and 8% ALP to the formulation increased total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity in plain (loaf) cakes. Hardness and chewiness increased in ALP-cakes but decreased in RWF-cakes, while cohesiveness and springiness decreased in ALP-cakes. In conclusion, the best formulation was a 4% ALP incorporated cake, and ALP can be supplemented in plain cakes at a rate of up to 8% to improve nutrient value. This is the first study to evaluate the quality characteristics of fortified plain (loaf) cakes using ALP.