Content and Profile of Isoflavones in Soy-Based Foods as a Function of the Production Process

Abstract

Soy has been traditionally incorporated in diet as processed foods, such as soymilk, tofu, miso, tempeh, etc., and the consumption is commonly associated with a reduction of the development of chronic diseases due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic properties, among others. Many of the health benefits of soy have been attributed to isoflavones. They comprise a group of naturally occurring flavonoids consisting of heterocyclic phenols. Soy contains three types of isoflavones in four chemical forms: the aglycones daidzein, genistein, and glycitein; the β-glucosides daidzin, genistin, and glycitin; their 6″-O-malonyl-β-glucosides (6OMalGlc); and their 6″-O-acetyl-β-glucosides (6OAcGlc) conjugates. Industrial processing methods of soy-based food products commonly lead to the loss of isoflavones through removal of undesirable fractions. On the other hand, isoflavones can be transformed into different conjugates, which may have significant effects on the food texture and on the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of the isoflavones. This article reviews the effect of a number of soybean processing treatments on the isoflavone content and profile. The preparation and manufacturing of different soy-based food and food ingredients, fermented and non-fermented, has been analyzed in terms of content and distribution of the three major isoflavone derivatives, daidzein, genistein, and glycitein, and their respective conjugates.

Chemical composition of tempeh from soybean cultivars specially developed for human consumption

“…By genetic breeding, special quality characteristics of soybean are improved (LIU, 1997;CARRÃO-PANIZZI et al, 2009a). Soybean foods can be fermented, which in general are traditional oriental foods such as miso, shoyu, tempeh, and natto, or non-fermented, among which the most popular are soymilk and tofu (VILLARES et al, 2011).…”

Effect of ultrasound assisted extraction upon the Genistin and Daidzin contents of resultant soymilk

“…The functional properties of soymilk have been well associated with those of its specific bioactive components known as isoflavones. Isoflavones are non-steroidal phytoestrogenic and antioxidative polyphenolic molecules with the potential to protect against hormonedependent diseases, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, menopausal symptoms, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis (Lee et al 2005;Rekha and Vijayalakshmi 2010;Villares et al 2009). Twelve isoflavones have been reported in soybeans: three aglycones (daidzein, genistein, and glycitein) and their respective glucosides and acetyl-, malonyl-, and bglucosides.…”

Soursop juice stabilized with soy fractions: a rheologial approach

“…Soybeans are rich in protein, and they are widely used as raw material to produce a number of soy-based products such as soymilk, tofu, miso, and soy sauce (VILLARES et al, 2010). Soy beverages contain 1.5 to 3.0% of soy protein WELSBY;HUANG, 2006), which has one of the best essential amino acid sequences of all plant proteins (LIU, 1997).…”