Food chemical investigation of tofu and its byproduct okara

Abstract

Tofu, an oriental soy food now produced commercially in countries outside of its traditional home, was prepared from soybeans of the cultivars Edgar, Hutton and Prima. The product, which is cheese-like in character and in method of preparation, was produced according to a modified method which included the addition of a coagulant mixture consisting of calcium chloride dihydrate and calcium sulphate dihydrate at levels which not only resulted in good tofu yields, but also elevated the calcium levels in such a manner as to make the product comparable to cheese as regards the wet weight concentration of this essential dietary mineral. Tofu, together with its fibrous byproduct, okara, and also the soybeans used in their manufacture, were subjected to food chemical analysis, namely the proximate as well as mineral and B group vitamin (thiamin, riboflavin and nicotinic acid) contents; in addition, specific analyses were performed to determine the contents of insoluble as well as soluble fibre, phytic acid, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and starch. Average energy values were calculated from the data for protein, oil and total carbohydrates.