Soy milk is a healthful, satisfying beverage for health-conscious and/or lactose- intolerant people. It has a smooth, creamy texture and a mild sweetness. Soy beverages are growing increasingly popular - in fact, they're the fastest-growing soy food category. Soy milk is a great way to incorporate soy into your everyday diet. Soy milk is made by grinding dehulled soybeans, mixing with water and cooking. Finally, the liquid is filtered and sweetened. Soy milk is a smart choice for anyone seeking to limit their cholesterol, fat, or sodium intake, and for those who want to reduce or eliminate lactose from their diets.

• Soy milk is a good source of protein, thiamine, iron, phosphorous, copper, potassium and magnesium. It contains little sodium. Some brands are fortified with important vitamins and minerals such as calcium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B-12.

• Soy milk also is low in saturated fat and is cholesterol-free.

Buying and Storing Soy Milk

• Soy milk in liquid, ready-to-drink form is available in most mainstream grocery stores. Aseptically packaged soy milk usually is stocked near the evaporated milk, UHT dairy milk or other packaged beverages. This variety needs no refrigeration until opened. Once opened, it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about five days.

• Conventionally packaged soy milk also may be found in the refrigerated section near the cow's milk in plastic one-quart and half-gallon containers. The variety also is available in most health food stores.

• Soy milk also is sold as a powder to be mixed with water. Soy milk powder should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

• Soy milk may be found in a variety of flavors such as chocolate, vanilla and carob.

Preserving or Storing Soymilk

There are 2 common practices used to preserve the quality of soymilk. One method, to preserve soymilk is to pasteurize it, that is, it is heated to a temperature sufficient to destroy pathogens and also kill most of the spoilage organisms. The milk is packaged and kept under refrigerated conditions the way you would keep pasteurized cow's milk. It will last for about 10 days. In another process, soymilk is processed at ultra high temperature (UHT), about 300° F for a second and the soymilk is then packaged aseptically. If this is done properly, the soymilk will be shelf stable, not require refrigeration. This process is commonly done to soymilk in the Orient. The soymilk is packed in "brick" 200 to 250 ml container similar to the individual juice packages that are sold in supermarkets in the U.S. To use you puncture the small foil hole with a straw.

How to Make Soymilk at Home?

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole soybeans or 1/2 cup cotyledons (see the recipe for dehulled soybeans)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon and later one pinch
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• One pinch salt
  
• Flavors as desired
  

1. Clean whole soybeans or cotyledons by removing dirt and damaged soybeans.
2. Drop soybeans directly into three cups boiling water containing 1/4 teaspoon. baking soda and blanch for five minutes.
3. Drain and rinse with hot water.
4. Drop the soybeans directly into three cups boiling water containing one pinch baking soda and blanch for five minutes.
5. Drain and rinse with hot water.
6. Grind the blanched cotyledons or whole beans with three cups hot water (almost boiling) for three minutes using blender setting at high speed.
7. Cool till warm to touch and filter through cheese cloth by squeezing.
8. Simmer soymilk on a stove for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add salt, sugar and flavors as desired. Refrigerate. Serve hot or cold.

1. Makes approximately three cups of soymilk.
2. Flavors may be added according to preference.
3. The recipe may be doubled or more.
4. The residue from milk is called okara. Okara can be used for baking products and pasta. Okara should be put in a refrigerator for use in a few days or in a freezer for future use.
   
   

Soy Cow

What is a "SoyCow"?
A "SoyCow" is a processing system that can grind and cook whole soybeans into soymilk, from which beverages, soya "cheese" (tofu), yogurt and other soy foods can be made. The SoyCow can process 4 pounds of raw soybeans into 4 gallons of nutritious soymilk in about 20 minutes. This soymilk can then be further processed into value-added products such as tofu and yogurt as well as local food blends. A by-product of this process, the fiber-rich pulp commonly called "okara", can be used in breads, spreads and many other foods.

Why is the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health involved?
SoyCow units provide an excellent way to introduce soy into foods that are already popular in foreign countries as well as providing alternatives to more expensive or unavailable dairy foods. Furthermore, these small processing units provide the business model to prove soy processing can be scaled-up to successful large-scale businesses in the community or region. These units are also well received because they can accomplish the dual goal of providing protein-rich soy foods while creating business opportunities to boost the economic growth in developing countries. WISHH is leveraging soybean checkoff funds by cooperating with humanitarian organizations that can buy these units for use in their development programs around the world.

"All the studies show us that these soy milk programs should be run as a business," says Judy Bryson of Africare's Food for Development Unit. "You can feed people, and at the same time, increase people's incomes."

How do "SoyCows" work?
The primary components of these systems are a grinder-cooker, steam boiler, and manual press. Whole soaked soybeans are dumped in the grinder-cooker along with water. The mixture is ground and cooked by using steam provided by the boiler. The cooked soy is then transferred to the manual press, in which a filter bag has been placed. The soy liquid or "milk" passes through the filter bag, while the undisolved fiber, the "okara" stays in the bag. The systems can operate with an electric boiler or a gas boiler running on propane or other liquid gas.

Where are they used?
Soycows are particularly well suited for developing countries with low labor costs. The operation of one unit can create employment for between 3-6 unskilled people while providing critical nutrition to hundreds. There are an estimated 3,000 systems in the world today, and about half of those are in Russia where the American Soybean Association worked to introduce them. WISHH is working with the non-profit organization Malnutrition Matters, whose founders helped develop the SoyCow, to help introduce the technology to Private Voluntary Organizations, like Africare, who are buying them for use in their programs. They are also helping develop commercial "soy dairy" industries in these countries.

How do these units complement the dairy industry?
SoyCows can provide protein rich-nutrition for people in developing countries where lactose-intolerance is common or where traditional dairy products are unavailable or expensive. Furthermore, processing temperatures used in SoyCows effectively sterilize the soyfoods, while providing safe drinking water, which is always a concern in developing countries. Furthermore, traditional dairies are finding a demand for these soy products that can be marketed alongside milk products.

"The equipment is very elegant and workable," stated Assistant Country Director of CARE India V.S. Gurumani. "We met an old man and his son, and they told us that the machine was able to help them make a living after meeting all the financing costs."

Overview

Product Alternatives

Nutritional Benefits

Soy Allergies