9/27/01

Contacts:
Larry Johnson, Center for Crops Utilization Research, (515) 294-4365
Ed Adcock, Communications Service, (515) 294-2314

IOWA STATE PROCESS USES NEW SOYBEAN WITH IMPROVED DIGESTIBILITY

AMES, Iowa -- Using soybeans with lower levels of the sugars people can't digest, an Iowa State University researcher has developed a process to help food manufacturers make products that don't produce intestinal gas.

Larry Johnson, director of the Center for Crops Utilization Research, found a way to improve the production of soy protein concentrate from soybeans developed by DuPont.

Johnson's patented process is based on High Sucrose Soybeans, patented by DuPont. High Sucrose Soybeans are low in oligosaccharides, the indigestible sugars that cause intestinal gas. DuPont has licensed Johnson's technology.

"Foods produced from these soybeans would help expand the market to people who might be avoiding soy foods to prevent intestinal gas," Johnson said. "The protein concentrate contains higher levels of isoflavones, compounds beneficial to health, and it can be used in more foods because it is not exposed to harsh chemicals that other processes use."

Soy foods are healthy, according to human studies. The Food and Drug Administration approved labels on soy-based products to indicate that 25 grams of soy protein daily, combined with a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may help prevent heart disease.

But Americans seem reluctant to eat soy foods, despite the health benefits. According to a 1999 survey by the United Soybean Board, two-thirds of consumers believed soy products are healthy, yet only 15 percent said they ate a soy product once a week.

Soy protein concentrates, which contain at least 65 percent protein, are used in a wide variety of food products. In Johnson's process, it is produced by removing the fiber from defatted and dehulled soybeans using alkali.

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