Soy Beans

Soybeans to Dinner Plates: A Pathway of a Superfood

The evergrowing push for healthier and more sustainable food production has led to an increase in interest for the soybean, a popular legume. The soybean is commonly referred to as a “superfood,” due to its versatility, sustainability, nutritive value, and the various methods of processing it to yield high quality products. While soybeans are native to East Asia, they are developed and consumed all over the world. This blog post will cover the pathway of the soybean from its creation all the way to a diner’s plate, discussing the numerous steps that this journey entails, as well as its associated costs and benefits along the way.

The Creation of a Soybean

While much of the cultivation of soybeans is treasured and eager to be protected, the creation of a soybean starts with the dispersion of soybean seed. These are typically sold by seed companies who specialize in the production and sale of soybeans throughout the world. These seeds are carefully inspected and regulated to meet standards of purity, germination, and motivation (seed’s capability to germinate).

Seed sprouts are then planted in large fields of topsoil. The soil is important for providing the necessary availability of macro and micronutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, and other elements, which the soybean plant requires for optimum health--particularly nitrogen, which is an essential nutrient for any legume.

The plants often take 90-120 days to be ready for harvest, and have to be grown in the proper environmental conditions. The ideal soil pH should range between 6.0 - 7.2, as too high of a pH can lead to toxic amounts of aluminum, copper, and phosphorus, while too low of a pH can reduce root growth. Furthermore, while soybeans are generally known to be highly tolerant to natural disasters, such as drought, flooding, and extreme temperatures, they still need to be monitored efficiently while they are developing.

Harvest and Cleaning the Soybeans

Once the soybean plants have mature their pods, the process of harvesting can begin. This can be done manually by scything and winnowing, where ripe pods are cut down with a scythe and then the soybeans are separated from the pods and chaff by winnowing, or mechanically, by machines.

At this stage, the beans must be dried and cleaned to remove dirt, weed seeds, and other debris, which can lead to contamination of the harvested crop. Drying can be done in a natural air drying process, where the beans are spread in thin layers and turned regularly over 5 - 7 days, or with a mechanical dryer, which can be done in just 2 - 4 hours. Cleaning involves the grinding of the soybeans, which both removes dirt and weeds, as well as separates the beans from the hulls. The result is a product that is relatively clean, with a certain percentage of foreign matter.

Processing the Soybeans

The cleaned and dried beans are then processed and preserved. This can vary depending on the desired end product, and what parts of the bean are wanted. There are four distinct methods that beans can be processed: full-fat, defatted, extrusion, and textured vegetable protein (TVP). Full-fat beans are the least processed beans, as they are cooked and sometimes even milled, yet still retain most of the nutrition that is offered in the raw bean.

Defatted beans go through another step of processing, where the oil from the beans is extracted, leaving behind a product with less fat, but a high concentration of proteins. Extrusion-cooked beans are subjected to high temperatures and pressures, which can both inactivate antinutritional factors and make them more digestible. Lastly, textured vegetable proteins (TVP) are the most processed soybeans, as the beans are cooked, extruded, and dried into a uniform product. Each of these processing techniques produces a different type of soybean product that can be used in a variety of applications.

Manufacturing and Packaging

Next, the processed beans are packaged and/or manufactured into various food products. This stage can involve a combination of processes, such as toasting, pressing, and crushing, as well as packaging of different forms (powdered, flaked, etc.). The manufacturing process is designed to preserve nutrition, but at the same time produce the desired form of the product, according to the needs of the manufacturer. This can include a wide range of products, such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, miso, soy milk, soy sauce, and other soybean-based products.

Distribution

Once the products are manufactured, they are then ready for distribution. Distribution involves the transportation of the products from manufacturing facilities to various retailers (i.e. grocery stores, restaurants, etc.) that offer the products to customers. This is done with sensitive care, as to ensure that the products reach retailers in a timely fashion, and are still fresh, tasty, nutritious, and safe for consumption.

Consumption

Lastly, the products are now available for purchase. Consumers have access to a variety of delicious food products that have been made from the soybean. The tasks of purchasing, cooking, and eating these products take place, and the energy and nutrition that has been invested in the soybean travel from the farm all the way to the diner’s plate.

Costs and Benefits

The pathway from soybeans to dinner plate carries a wide range of costs and benefits. From an environmental standpoint, the soybean is an extremely efficient crop to produce. The legume can provide nitrogen for the soil, and reduce the need for additional nitrogen fertilizers, when in rotation with other crops, as it possesses nitrogen-fixing bacteria on the roots of its plants. Additionally, due to its increasing demand, the production and consumption of the soybean can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as it helps to reduce the number of animals in factory farms, and the transportation that they require.

Financially, the soybean is a relatively low-cost crop. Its production can be done with minimal inputs, reducing the need for high levels of investment in chemical fertilizer, herbicides, and insecticides. Its yield per field is also much greater compared to other crops, with 1 hectare of soybeans producing as much as 4 metric tons of food. Thus, this makes it a more attractive option for farmers, as the output and quality of their product is increased, while their costs remain low.

Nutrition and health wise, soybeans are packed with essential vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus. They are also a great source of dietary fiber and proteins, making it a great protein choice for vegetarians. In addition, the beans themselves contain isoflavones, a type of flavonoid that has beneficial anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and cholesterol-reducing properties. The various products manufactured from the bean, such as soy milk and tofu, can also contain high levels of these isoflavones.

Conclusion

The journey of the soybean is an inspiring one. This hardy crop has traveled a long way, starting at seed distributors and farmers, and ended up at the diner’s plate. Along the way, it has faced regulations, and faced processing and manufacturing to ensure quality and safety, as well as being distributed with thoughtful care, to guarantee it reached wholesome and appetizing conditions. Moreover, the range of options it can be made into, along with its nutritional and health benefits, are why it has become a staple food in many diets.