What Is Unfermented Soy?

Soy is a legume that looks a lot like a very large pea when taken out of the pod. Many products on the heath food market today are made with soy, everything from soy turkey to soy cheese. Once soy is processed it can either be left unfermented or it can be fermented and turned into foods like miso or soy sauce. Unfermented soy is used in a lot of healthy cooking and is turned into foods such as tofu and soy milk.

History

Soy comes from soybeans, which are native plants in East Asia. Soy has been used as a food product in China for as long as 5,000 years and is a stable form of protein in many Asian countries like Japan, Korea and Thailand.

Historically, soybeans were used in crop rotation because they enriched the soil with nitrogen. They were even used to restore the soil in the midwestern United States during the Depression.

Unfermented soy products have been eaten for hundreds of years all over Asian countries, from India to the Philippines.

One of the most popular forms of unfermented soy, tofu, was invented in China thousands of years ago.

Production

Unfermented soy is made from soybeans that have not been fermented. However, in order for soy to be safe for human consumption the soybeans are first boiled to rid them of trypsin inhibitors, which may lead to health problems.

After the beans have been boiled, unfermented soy can be made into a variety of products, each with their own method of production.

Types

Unfermented soy is found in most soy-based products on the market today. These products include: soy milk, tofu, soy baby formula, soy ice cream, soy cheese, dried soybeans, soy flour, soy-based meat alternatives like veggie burgers or veggie sausages and more.

However, there are some forms of fermented tofu that will not fit into this category.

Benefits

Unfermented soy is believed to be good for you. It is consided a perfect protein, which means that it, unlike other legumes, contains high amounts of amino acids and omega fatty acids, which are essential for a healthy diet.

Unfermented soy can also be used to replace animal-based proteins in human diets, since it has a complete amount of the healthy amino acids people need. It is also low in fat, especially saturated fat, making it even healthier.

Theories/Speculation

There are rumors that unfermented soy is not good for you and that you should consume only fermented soy products. However, there is very little proof that unfermented soy products are actually harmful to humans. Heavily processed food, whether made of soy or not, is not as healthful as natural foods.

Avoid eating heavily processed unfermented soy products such as soy cheese, nonorganic soy milk, soy ice cream and soy-based meat products.

Any type of food should be eaten in moderation or it can become harmful to one's health.

References

• Is Soy Bad for Your Health?
• Soybean on Wikipedia