New functional food product in the baking

Related tags Nutrition

Scientists at the Ohio State University claim to have developed the
first heart-healthy and tasty soy bread that can legitimately carry
the FDA health claim.

Scientists at the Ohio State University claim to have developed a heart healthy and tasty affordable consumer product, soy bread.

"This is the first soy baked good that can legitimately carry the FDA claim that consuming it is associated with a lower risk of heart disease,"​ says Dr. Yael Vodovotz, an assistant professor of food science.

"The problem with soy products is that they just don't taste good to a lot of people," says Vodovotz. "They sometimes have that beany flavour."

Vodovotz says the bread is a little dense and chewy, and looks very much like white bread. The FDA claims that in order to get the heart-healthy benefits of soy, consumers have to eat at least 25 grams of soy protein daily. For a soy product to meet this claim, a serving needs to provide 6.25 grams of soy protein, as well as be low in fat, low in saturated fat, and low in cholesterol. Vodovotz says their soy bread meets all of those requirements.

The bread has been field tested at local supermarkets and the scientists are currently negotiating an agreement to license the product to a bakery.

Dr. Josh Bomser, US College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences said, "People haven't really looked at combinations of functional foods,"

"We know that the Asian diet is full of soy, but it really hasn't caught on here. We're interested in putting soy in tomato sauce or combining them in other soups, juices, or sauces that are already part of the Western diet,"​ he added.

Soy is a potential cancer fighter because it contains certain ingredients called isoflavones and a variety of other phytochemicals. Isoflavones are a class of plant-based chemicals that are used by the plant as hormones to ward off pests such as insects.

Related topics Research

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