Tofu Processing at Tofu Industry Using Fermented Whey as Coagulants

Abstract

Background: Tofu industry in Indonesia commonly used fermented whey as coagulant. There is a lack of study about tofu producing process which used fermented whey. Generally, the society determine the tofu quality from the texture, however, the industry itself tend to produced tofu rendement. In the tofu industry, the yield and texture of tofu is a very important process parameter. The yield and texture are influenced by various factors, such as the soybean extraction process, cooking temperature, coagulation pH, length of coagulant addition, intensity of coagulant addition, or duration of shaping and pressing. However, every tofu factory applies different levels for each factor. This condition causes the variation in the characteristics of tofu, especially with regard to its texture and yield. Objective: This study aimed to determine the factors that affect the quality and quantity of tofu. Methods: The survey study was conducted among the 21 tofu factories using fermented whey as the coagulant. Results: Based on the survey results, there were seven variables that determine the yield of tofu; the soybean type, soybean and water ratio, pH of fermented whey (coagulant), coagulation temperature (°C), coagulation pH, intensity of coagulant addition (time), and duration of molding (minutes). Conclusion: The six factors that influenced the tofu texture were soybean type, soybean and water ratio, coagulation temperature (°C), coagulation pH, coagulation time (minutes), and duration of molding (minutes).