Cereal Chem 66:359-361   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Yield and Amino Acid Composition of Fractions Obtained During Tofu Production.

H. L. Wang and J. F. Cavins. Copyright 1989 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Five fractions are derived during processing of soybeans into tofu: soak water, water-insoluble residue, soymilk, tofu, and whey. Soak water and whey accounted for 14% of bean solids, 4.7% of bean protein, and a small amount of oil; the residue accounted for 30, 20, and 11%, and soymilk accounted for 63, 79, and 82%, respectively. Almost all of the soymilk oil and 90% of soymilk protein are converted into tofu. Consequently, 52% of solids, 71% of protein, and 82% of the oil in the soybeans were recovered in the tofu fraction. Amino acid composition varied considerably among the fractions, indicating the biological values of these fractions may differ. The residue that contained 27% protein had an essential amino acid to total amino acid ratio similar to that of tofu and soymilk and an oil content of only about 8%.