Physicochemical and nutritional assessment of soy milk and soymilk products and comparative evaluation of their effects on blood gluco-lipid profile

Abstract

This research work presents the physicochemical and nutritional evaluation of soymilk and soymilk based products like tofu and its by-product okhara and soy yoghurt and a comparative study of their effect on blood gluco-lipid profile in both animal models and Type 2 diabetic patient volunteers. Their nutritional effect were also assessed amongst children and young mothers. All products have significant protein, fat, carbohydrate and crude fiber content. Total polyphenolic content of soymilk was determined to be 2.26±1.02 mg GAE/g; the phytate content in raw soy milk ranged between 0.1-0.3%; trypsin inhibitory activity of soybean was found to be 46.52±0.98. Results have shown the significant nutritional potentials of soymilk and soymilk based products. The average baseline BMI of 16.5 and 19.1 for child and young mothers participants were improved to 18.1 and 19.8 after intake of soy milk and soymilk based products. Okhara significantly (p<0.001) reduced the escalated blood gluco-lipid parameters, followed by soymilk, soy yoghurt and tofu as evident both in animal and human studies. Thus soy milk and soy milk based products not only improve the nutritional status but also an effective nutraceutical adjunct therapy against hyperglycaemia.