Increasing the value of soy milk

Palsgaard Technical Paper, February 2012

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Soy milk has been part of the Asian diet for cen-turies and changing consumer needs in terms of flavours, fortification and packaging formats have resulted in an increased market. The installation of a soy extraction pilot plant in Palsgaard’s appli-cation facility in Singapore opens up possibilities for manufacturers to optimise processing param-eters and rejuvenate soy milk drinks.

By Hanne K. Ludvigsen,Product Manager Dairy and Ice cream, Palsgaard A/S.

Soy beans are important sources of protein and oil in human nutri-tion, especially in Asia, where soy-based drinks have been part of the diet for centuries. Health benefits of soy proteins include positive impact on cardiovascular and bone health, menopausal symptoms and some cancers. Soy products are also consumed for weight control and as a valuable alternative for people with lactose intolerance, which is extremely high in Asia. Studies suggest that around 90% of the adult popula-tion of China is somewhat intoler-ant to lactose1.

In 2008, the number of dairy products in the Chinese market reduced dramatically. Product launches are now increasing, but

from a much lower year-on-year comparison figure. Soy and other vegetable-based drinks saw a significantly smaller reduction in product launches and have enjoyed double-digit growth in the past year as seen in figure 1. Manufacturers have introduced descriptions such as “scientific technique” on their product labels with English being increasingly used. Contemporary packaging – even on traditional products and recipes – is helping to modernise the image of long-established products. According to Mintel, safety and quality concerns have moved beyond the importance of value and price in many Asian countries and this gives manu-facturers the opportunity to build value into their products.

The consumption challengeEight of the top 12 soy drink con-suming countries are Asian with Hong Kong residents consuming the most at 17 litres per year per capita, according to Michael Loh, the business development direc-tor at supplier London Agricultural Commodities. Loh’s presentation at a soy conference in Taiwan in 2011 noted that while soy drink sales remained high in Asia, manufacturers are faced with the challenge of converting street soy drink sales of raw product into end-product sales. He said, “An emerging business opportunity lies in converting people from consuming ‘street soya’ to packed soy drinks. Hence it is important to know each market segment.”2

Soy milk has also benefited from rising consumer awareness that soy is high in protein and miner-als yet low in saturated fat and free of cholesterol. The market for Asian speciality drinks, though, is expected to become more con-solidated in the future. Currently, the category remains fragmented with a high level of regional manu-facturers. Consumers are likely to become increasingly loyal to well-known larger brands, as advertis-ing and distribution expansion among leading players raise their

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Figure 1: Year-on-year growth of soy, rice/nut/grain and seed based drinks and flavoured and white milk launches, China.

profiles across China and other Asian nations.3

Rejuvenation of soy milk Around 80% of current soy and other vegetable-based drinks launched in China are unfla-voured. Brands have begun of-fering products with milder tastes and smells as manufacturers look beyond plain flavours to gain a significant difference against home-made soy milk. In 2010, flavoured variants accounted for around 60% of new liquid milk launches in China and the dyna-mism of this new category could inspire soy producers to follow suit (see figure 2). Another develop-ment is the increase in soy drinks containing dairy ingredients. The market has quadrupled since the beginning of 2011 and offers consumers the best of both worlds – they are low in fat and high in calcium.1

As well as flavour, the many types of soy milk can be classified by degree of filtration, consistency, method of elimination of off-fla-vours or fortification. Examples of fortified products are cultured soy milks that have undergone a typi-cally lactic acid fermentation, soy milk infant formulas fortified with methionine, vitamins and miner-als, or soy milk blends with other types of milks.4

Soy milk contains water soluble proteins, carbohydrate and oil droplets, and traditional home-made products have a short shelf-life. UHT technology has been incremental in achieving shelf-life of up to a year, depending on the composition of the product. Fur-

ther, the right choice of emulsifiers and stabilisers is necessary for ensuring a homogeneous product without creaming and sedimenta-tion during the entire shelf-life.

Professional supportManufacturers wishing to initiate or expand production of initial soy milk base as well as stand-ardisation and further processing to satisfy these market require-ments, are able to find support at Palsgaard’s application facilities in Singapore. The installation of an SPX pilot plant for soy extrac-tion opens up for optimisation of composition, stabilisation and processing parameters for the complete course of development of consumer products from soy beans (see figure 3.)

Palsgaard offers soy milk manu-facturers the ability to test and define the optimal processing parameters of the soy milk base. This is required for the further treatment into new recipes of end products with improved sensory qualities as well as storage stabil-ity. The pilot plant holds the exact

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same features as a full-sized commercial plant and experienced food technologists can adjust and modify the process parameters of the soy base, such as the blanch-ing/soaking of the soy beans, the processing time, the temperature, the pH and the solid content.

The pilot plant is completely flex-ible and the soy milk base can be finely adjusted by changing and modifying the process parameters to meet product goals and aspira-tions. The soy milk base can then be reformulated to make further profitable soy-based products, such as drinks, yoghurts and ice cream as the application centre also features a UHT pilot plant and equipment for yoghurt and ice cream production. Processing optimisation Palsgaard can assist with the impact of processing steps for particular requirements of the desired product. The Western style of soy milk resembles dairy milk when looking at the protein content and typically contains approx. 3% protein, 2% oil and

Figure 2: Top flavour for flavoured milk, 2009 to present, China.

2% carbohydrates. It can be flavoured, fortified and may be used for drinking as well as for cooking, which is challenging the technological properties of the product. Asian soy milk is also of-ten fortified but has lower protein content, down to 1%, and higher sugar level – 5-10% added sugar is quite common.

A significant proportion of indus-trially manufactured soy milk is produced by means of the UHT process and aseptic filling. This puts a great demand on the stabil-ity of the product as consumers demand a homogeneous product throughout the entire shelf-life. Direct as well as indirect UHT systems may be applied, though from a stability and sensory point of view, direct systems are preferred. These result in less chemical changes in the product due to a lower total heat load and extraction of air from the prod-uct in the vacuum chamber. The indirect system is, however, often preferred due to lower investment and running costs.During the initial production of soy milk base, proteins, soluble

carbohydrates and oils are sepa-rated from the fibre material, the so-called okara. This base is then further formulated and processed into the desired soy product. The soy base can be produced in several ways by applying or omit-ting various processing steps. The choice of processing deter-mines the chemical, nutritional as well as sensory properties of the soy base; such as the content of oligosaccharides causing flatu-lence, trypsin inhibitors influencing protein digestion and off-flavour components. A typical soy milk base has 45% protein, 20% oil, 17% carbohydrates and 8% ash calculated on the dry matter.

One important aspect is the intended end-product flavour. A less beany soy milk flavour can be achieved by exposing the soy base to direct steam infusion heating to 140°C followed by flash cooling and vacuum desodo-risation. This process removes volatile off-flavours and inactivates the trypsin inhibitors and any enzymes not yet inactivated and which might have led to formation of off-flavour during storage. Fur-ther, it removes air from the prod-uct which otherwise could have caused oxidation in the product.

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Figure 3: The soy pilot plant for production of soy base consists of 3 units:• Soy milk extraction including

blanching, soaking, grinding and buffering

• Fibre separation, separating the soy milk base from the okara

• Enzyme inactivation and deodori-sation

Emulsifiers and stabilisers for soy productsWhichever UHT system is used (see figure 4), application of emulsifiers and stabilisers in soy milk beverages is necessary for ensuring optimal emulsion stabil-ity. Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, produced by the reaction of edible vegetable fats and oils and glycerol, are commonly used as emulsifiers in liquid soy products. The molecule has a hydrophilic and a lipophilic part and conse-quently will locate at the interface between the fat/protein and water. This happens during homogeni-sation of the soy milk. They also make the fat globule membrane more resistant towards coales-cence – reducing the fat separa-tion in the product and improving the creaminess in the drink.

Carrageenan, extracted from seaweed, is by far the most com-monly used stabiliser in soy milk. The carrageenan interacts with the protein particles preventing sedimentation in the product. In a chocolate drink, a three-dimensional network formed by the carrageenan keeps the cocoa particles in suspension. Combined with mono- and diglycerides, car-rageenan ensures a stable and homogeneous soy milk during the entire shelf-life.

For use in soy milk and soy drinks, Palsgaard has developed the integrated emulsifier and stabiliser system Palsgaard® Rec-Milk 122. It includes mono- and diglycerides and carrageenan as the main stabiliser. If the soy milk contains particles that have to be dispersed, such as cocoa powder,

Palsgaard® ChoMilk 199 has to be used. It also includes mono- and diglycerides and carrageenan but the composition is adjusted to sta-bilise the particles in the drink.

ConclusionThe global soy beverage market continues to grow, offering plenty of opportunities for the develop-ment of products with new health benefits, taste experiences and concepts for specific age and lifestyle-related target groups.

Soy milk has benefited from rising consumer awareness that soy is high in protein and minerals yet low in saturated fat and free of cholesterol. The demand in Asia has seen Palsgaard invest in the region to satisfy the increasing needs and demands of customers for high quality emulsifiers and stabilisers for soy applications.

For further information contact Product Manager Hanne K. Ludvigsen at hkl@palsgaard.dk or Tel. +45 7682 7682 or visit www.palsgaard.dk

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References:1: Mintel - Dairy Drinks July 2011 report. For further information, please contact Caroline Roux, Food and Drink Research Analyst at croux@mintel.com or visit www.mintel.com

2: Presentation by Michael Loh, busi-ness development director, London Agricultural Commodities. For further information, please visit www.lon-donag.com

3: Euromonitor - Asian Speciaity Drinks in China report, Feb 2011. For further information, please visit www.euromonitor.com

4: History of soy milk and dairy-like soy milk products. Please contact info@soyinfocenter.com or visit www.soyinfocenter.com.

Figure 4: The soy milk base extracted via the soy pilot plant can be reformu-lated to make further profitable soy based drinks and can be processed and tested in a UHT pilot plant at Palsgaard’s facilities in Singapore.