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Solae™ soy protein.
How a Longer, Healthier Life can Begin with
a Bean.
Soy Protein: What Is It?
The Scoop on Soy Isoflavones
Adding Soy Protein to
Your Diet
Soy Ingredients: What's
the Difference?
The Benefits of Isolated
Soy Protein
Even the FDA Says Isolated
Soy Protein is the ONE
Solae™ soy protein--For
Taste, Health and Simplicity
Solae™ soy protein
Scorecard
Solae™ soy
protein. How a Longer, Healthier Life can
Begin with a Bean.
Soy. A little word that can mean great health
benefits to you and your family.
What is soy protein? How can you add it
into your diet? How much should you eat
to be healthy? What are the benefits to
your body, your health and your longevity?
Solae™ brand soy protein wants to
answer the explosion of questions around
the latest research into the health benefits
of soy protein.
Solae™ soy proteins represent protein
ingredients that make it simpler and tastier
than ever to get the recommended amount
of soy protein in your diet. Products with
Solae™ soy protein offer real health
benefits, backed by research, and bring
them to you in great-tasting, everyday food
products. Together, we represent scientists
and nutrition experts who want to provide
the healthiest source of soy protein in
the world.
Soy Protein: What
Is It?
Soybeans are legumes - plants like peas,
black-eyed peas, kidney beans, navy beans
and chick peas that are especially high
in protein. Not only does the funny-looking
little soybean contain more protein than
other commonly eaten legumes. The soybean
contains better protein.
That's because soy protein is the only
complete protein found in a plant (complete
protein is also found in meat, eggs and
milk). In fact, all of the amino acids your
body can't produce and can only get from
food are found right in soy protein -- in
exactly the right balance to meet your body's
needs.
The biggest news is that eating soy protein
is associated with a lot of different health
benefits, including the prevention of heart
disease. In October 1999, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized
the use of the following health claim: "Consuming
25 grams of soy protein daily, as part of
a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol,
may reduce the risk of heart disease."
Additionally, in November 2000, the American
Heart Association (AHA) also recognized
the cholesterol-lowering power of soy protein,
adding it to a limited number of foods -
including oatmeal, leafy green vegetables,
orange juice and bananas -- that they recommend
consumers eat daily to reduce heart disease
risk.
Soy protein is also a source of phytochemicals,
which literally means "plant chemicals."
Thousands of different phytochemicals naturally
occur in plants. And while phytochemicals
aren't vitamins or minerals, there is more
and more evidence that some of them may
have important effects on your health. So
far, most of the studies have concentrated
on how these substances may help prevent
chronic diseases and conditions. But scientists
are just now starting to identify the phytochemicals
in food and to understand how they work
in our bodies. In time, they could discover
a world of possibilities.
The Scoop on Soy
Isoflavones
One group of phytochemicals that has been
getting a lot of attention are substances
called isoflavones. The isoflavones found
in soy are genistein, daidzein and glycitein.
They are found almost exclusively in soy,
but their levels vary from one type of soybean
plant to another (depending on the plant
type, soil, and growing conditions)
What's interesting, though, is that while
these three isoflavones are found along
with soy protein, they aren't actually part
of the protein molecule itself. In fact,
sometimes the isoflavones that occur naturally
in soy can be removed from soy protein -
not a good thing, since much of the research
into soy protein suggests that these isoflavones
are responsible for at least some of the
health benefits observed in people who eat
soy protein.
Adding Soy Protein
to Your Diet
As more and more people ask for healthy
soy-rich foods, a growing number of soyfoods
are popping up in specialty and regular
grocery stores. However, the more traditional
soyfoods are often an acquired taste. People
from Western cultures might not be able
to wrap their tastebuds around that daily
glass of soy milk and serving of tofu.
That's why food manufacturers are developing
a number of new soy-based foods that will
be more appealing to Western palates. A
lot of these foods, including everything
from cheese to shakes to baking mixes, are
made with soy protein - typically, soy flour,
soy protein concentrate, or isolated soy
protein. And, a lot of them are made with
Solae™ soy protein.
Soy Ingredients:
What's the Difference?
Soy ingredients - soy flour, soy protein
concentrate and isolated soy protein --
that go into soyfoods all contain soy protein.
Soy protein is always made from soy flakes.
Soy flour, which is 50% protein (based
on dry weight), is ground from soy flakes
to the desired particle size, smooth or
course.
Soy protein concentrate, which is 70% protein(based
on dry weight), is made by processing soy
flakes to remove some of the sugar that
naturally occurs in soy.
Soy protein concentrate can be processed
two different ways:
- Soy flakes can be washed with water,
then dried to make the finished product.
- Or alcohol can be added to soy flakes
to dissolve sugars and other alcohol-soluble
substances.
Unfortunately, both alcohol processing
and excessive water washing remove most
of the isoflavones naturally present in
soy flakes.
The Benefits of
Isolated Soy Protein
The third - and highest quality -- soy ingredient
is isolated soy protein.
What does isolated mean? Simply that once
the protein is manufactured using water
to remove most of the sugar in the soy flakes,
the protein is then precipitated and dried.
What you're left with is an ingredient that
is 90% protein (based on dry weight)- a
much higher percentage than you'll find
in soy flour or soy protein concentrate,
and a number that makes isolated soy protein
the most concentrated form of soy protein
there is.
Even the FDA Says
Isolated Soy Protein is the ONE
People read food labels every day to judge
what they're feeding themselves and their
families. To help consumers make better
decisions, a few years ago the FDA adopted
an accurate way to rate protein for food
labels. Specifically, they use this new
method for measuring protein quality to
calculate the percentage of the Daily Value
of protein for adults and children over
one year of age.
They call this method the Protein Digestibility
Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS), a score
that evaluates the quality of a food protein
by comparing its amino acid content to the
amino acid requirements of a two- to five-year
old child. Why? Because the amino acid requirements
of children at this young age are the most
demanding of any age group, with the exception
of infants.
The PDCAAS also allows us to compare isolated
soy protein to other proteins, both animal-
and plant-based. The result? Isolated soy
protein is a plant-based protein with a
PDCAAS of 1.0 - the highest possible score.
Solae™ soy protein--For
Taste, Health and Simplicity
As scientists reviewed epidemiological data
supporting soy proteins health benefits,
researchers began to unravel potential reasons
for the health promoting properties of soy
protein.
Investigators, over an almost thirty year
time span, have begun to identify many potential
health promoting components found naturally
in soy protein. This research has lead to
further study of these components including
isoflavones, saponins, the amino acid profile
of soy protein, phytic acid and protease
inhibitors.
Protein Technologies International, through
the development of a proprietary processing
method, has been able to help maintain these
health promoting components at a managed
level to ensure the health benefits are
achieved.
One way to do this is to carefully water
wash the starting material (defatted soy
flakes) to ensure a managed level of bioactive
components are maintained. These naturally
occurring isoflavones act as a biomarker
for the other health promoting components
found naturally in Solae™ soy protein.
Overprocessing the soy flakes or using
alcohol in the washing process can remove
virtually all of these health promoting
components. That's why Solae™ soy protein
is processed under stringent guidelines
to ensure you will receive the health benefits
associated with consuming soy protein.
Solae™ soy
protein Scorecard
- Soybeans are much higher in protein
than other commonly eaten plant foods.
In fact, they are the ONLY "complete"
plant protein.
- Consuming 25 grams of soy protein each
day - as part of a diet low in saturated
fat and cholesterol - may reduce your
risk of heart disease.
- Solae™ soy protein has a PDCAAS
of 1.0 - the highest possible protein
quality score, and comparable to the protein
in meat, milk and eggs!
- Soybeans contain many health promoting
components, including the isoflavones
genistein, daidzein, and glycitein. Research
suggests that these substances in combination
with the protein have very important health
benefits.
- Unfortunately, health promoting components
can be removed when alcohol or excessive
water washing is used to manufacture soy
ingredients. Solae™ soy proteins
are carefully processed to maintain isoflavones
and other natural health-promoting components
of the soybean.
- Solae™ soy proteins represent ingredients,
which have been clinically proven through
years of scientific research. When you
see the Solae™ mark on the label
of food products, you can be assured that
that product delivers against the health
promises it makes to you.
- Look for the Solae™ mark on the
label of products you are purchasing and
be assured that they will deliver real
health benefits, taste good and fit with
your busy lifestyle.
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