Research enables the use of soybean by-products as an ingredient for plant-based foods

Technological route developed by researchers from Embrapa Food Agroindustry (RJ) made it possible to use okara, a residue from soybean processing, in products plant based (plant-based). The research that extended the shelf life of okara for 90 days under refrigeration was validated at the Ecobras industry, located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which produces and sells soy products. Okara has high nutritional value and can be an ingredient for different markets, including vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian consumers.

The experiments to obtain okara with extended shelf life were carried out in Embrapa laboratories and Ecobras facilities. “The technological solution avoids the waste of a co-product from soy processing with high technological, nutritional and economic value, which is normally discarded or sent to animal feed due to its high perishability and high drying cost. Okara is still underutilized today, despite the ancient consumption of soybeans”, explains the Embrapa researcher Ilana Felberg, Project leader. 

What is flexitarianism?

According to the Brazilian Vegetarian Society (SVB), flexitarianism is a movement that identifies people who seek to reduce their consumption of meat and animal derivatives. It is a new consumption profile.

The scientist says that reusing okara for industrial or domestic use maintains the production cycle and reduces environmental impact, within the concept of circular economy. “For the producer, it represents the possibility of selling the input instead of discarding it. For the consumer, it adds nutritional value, including the presence of fiber and proteins”, she declares.

What is okara?

Okara is the solid part that results from the extraction of soybeans to obtain the aqueous extract in the soybean products industry such as beverages and tofu. Even at refrigerated temperatures, it deteriorates quickly, in about three days. As it is highly perishable, when it is not discarded, it is used as animal feed. The technological route developed by Embrapa to extend the useful life of okara uses equipment and processes already installed in soybean processing industries.

The advantage of this technological route is that the product is ready for immediate use for at least 90 days, according to analyzes carried out in the research. Six thermal processes with time/temperature variation were studied. Fresh okara (“in natura”) and heat-treated samples were subjected to microbiological analysis to quantify fungi, spoilage bacteria, Bacillus cereus and for detection Salmonella spp. “These were indicators of hygienic-sanitary conditions and microbiological stability that verified a shelf life of okara under refrigeration of at least 90 days in three repetitions of pilot tests conducted at Embrapa, as well as in industrial validation”, says the researcher Eduardo Henrique Miranda Walter. According to him, there is also the possibility of using different equipment for the microbiological stabilization of okara, reducing its energy consumption and production costs, including the design of a process for drying the input, eliminating the need for the cold chain.

The researchers report that okara is an input with high potential for application in industry, as it is low cost and does not impart flavor to the products. Can be used as an ingredient in foods plant based, sausages and bakery products, such as breads, cakes and biscuits. The process validated by Embrapa, in addition to extending the useful life, does not alter the proximate composition, as indicated by analyzes carried out in the Physical-Chemistry Laboratory of Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos. 

Become an Embrapa partner

Interested in producing and selling okara, a co-product of soy processing? Find out how to obtain information about the new technological route for obtaining okara developed by Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos.

Contact the Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos business area

by email: ctaa.servico@embrapa.br

Okara burgers and cookies, naturally gluten-free

Application tests carried out at the pilot plants of Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos and at the industrial plant of Ecobras demonstrated the suitability of the input as an ingredient in industrial formulations. 

At the Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos Cereals Pilot Plant, cookies were produced with okara. The research data indicated that heat-treated okara produced by Embrapa resulted in cookies with characteristics similar to fresh okara. “Cookies were tested with refrigerated pasteurized okara (test okara), frozen pasteurized okara (for comparison with the control) and frozen fresh okara (control). The cookies did not present a significant difference between them in any response studied”, points out the researcher Melícia Galdeano, responsible for the test. 

To test the application of the input in an industrial production environment, fresh okara was replaced by heat-treated okara in the tofu burger formulation from the company Ecobras. “The industrial validation test was carried out with 30% to 50% okara developed by Embrapa. Fresh okara was replaced in commercial burgers, confirming the same standard as the line product”, says Marcela Alves, Food Engineer and production and quality control coordinator at Ecobras. These results indicated the suitability of the input for incorporation into industrial products and homemade recipes.

New soy products 

Since 2004, Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos and Ecobras have worked in partnership to develop new soy-derived products. Yosoy organic soy yogurt was created together and launched on the market in 2005 by Ecobras, using resources from the Rio Innovation Notice from the Research Support Foundation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (faperj), which accelerated the development of its product line. Since then, Ecobras has been working on several research and development initiatives with Embrapa.

Currently, the company produces and sells products derived from organic soybeans and organic chickpeas, mainly for consumer markets in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The main product line is tofu, “soy cheese”, in which the tofu burger (TofuBurger) stands out, which uses okara as a raw material. “The difference in the process validated by Embrapa is the extension of the useful life of the okara, thus increasing its use as a raw material”, says Marcela Alves. 

According to her, the adoption of okara developed by Embrapa at Ecobras still depends on the increase in consumer demand for food products that use it in their formulations and its incorporation into new products. Currently, Ecobras uses around 30% fresh okara in its formulations, but this percentage may increase as the product's shelf life expands.

According to Alves, there is room for research and development of new food products with the incorporation of okara in their ingredient lists, which not only promote market acceptance through added nutritional values, but also meet the end consumer's demand. for healthier and more sustainable foods. 

The innovation team at Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos considers that the feasibility of using okara on a large scale by the production sector will depend on the entry of new players for the commercialization and use of okara in its formulations, expanding the diversity of products plant based made available to consumers.