Why is soybean called "the king of beans" and "the meat in the field"?

Soybean is rich in nutrition and has many health benefits. Soybean contains a lot of protein, fat, amino acid and other nutrients. Soybean is rich in protein, its amino acid composition is close to animal protein, and its fat content is also high, and its quality is better than animal fat. Its nutritional value is similar to meat, so it is called "the king of beans" and "the meat in the field". In addition, isoflavones, plant sterols and other ingredients in soybeans have certain health care effects, and can help prevent cardiovascular diseases, cancer, etc.

Soybean is widely used. Many bean products made from soybeans, such as beancurd, dried bean curd, and shredded bean curd, can provide nutritional value similar to meat. Compared with meat, soybeans have health advantages such as low fat and cholesterol. At the same time, it is also the main raw material of many animal feeds.

What is the use of soybeans other than direct consumption?

Various compounds can be extracted from soybean, and these extracts are widely used in food industry, mainly including soybean protein, soybean oil, soybean isoflavones and soybean fiber.

Soy protein: It is a high-quality protein extracted from skimmed soybeans, which is divided into soy protein isolate (SPI) and soy protein concentrate (SPC). Soy protein is widely used in meat substitutes, dairy substitutes (such as soy milk and tofu), energy bars, sports nutrition supplements and other healthy foods to increase protein content and improve food texture.

Soybean oil: It is the oil extracted from soybean seeds, and is one of the most important vegetable oils in the world. Soybean oil is widely used in cooking, salad dressing, baking food and various products in the food processing industry.

Soybean isoflavones: a kind of phytochemicals with weak estrogenic activity, mainly present in soybeans and their products. Soybean isoflavones are widely used in health food and nutritional supplements, and are believed to be beneficial to heart health, bone health and menopausal symptoms.

Soybean fiber: It is the cellulose extracted from the by-product of soybean processing, which can be used as food additive to increase the fiber content of food, improve the texture and stability, and be used in bread, biscuits, meat products and low calorie foods.

The wide application of soybean extract not only enriches the nutritional value and diversity of food, but also meets the demand of consumers for healthy food. When using soybean extracts, the food industry usually takes into account the nutritional composition, functional characteristics and specific needs of target consumer groups.

Source: Farmers Daily