Get healthy with soy
Healthy and tasty dishes ranging from vegan satay and fluffy pancakes to refreshing yoghurt drinks and creamy dairy-free soups using soy protein ingredients were showcased during a Soy Party held on 2 December. Called “Creating Values of Soy in Food”, the party marked a successful year of collaboration between NUS Food Science and Technology (NUS-FST) and Fuji Oil Asia, which engages in soybean research and produces soy ingredients.
The variety of dishes presented were conceptualised and developed by the first batch of NUS-FST students with input from the company’s culinary chef, showcasing unique features such as reduced fat content and increased protein. A crowd favourite was the vegan satay, where meat was replaced entirely with soy protein, creating a product that is lower in cholesterol and fat while still maintaining its taste. For meat fillings such as tuna and curry chicken as well as in hamburger meat patties and lasagne, the students used a strategy of partial meat replacement, where 30 per cent of meat was replaced with soy protein. The partial meat replacement allowed them to create products that were not only lower in total and saturated fat, but cheaper to produce as well. Vegan dairy-free ice-cream and soups were concocted by replacing cream with the soy milk products. The students also worked on noodle manufacturing, using soy polysaccharides to reduce stickiness without the need for oil.
NUS-FST students (in blue polo T-shirts) with Director of Asia R&D Center of Fuji Oil Asia Alan Foo (far left), and their mentors Fuji Oil Asia R&D Chef Lin Wei Xiang (fifth from left), and Fuji Oil Asia Sales and Marketing Executive Gaven Low (fifth from right)
Mr Hiroshi Shimizu, CEO of Fuji Oil Holdings, Inc. expressed his excitement on the collaboration with NUS-FST, praising the students’ hard work with the company. “With research collaboration with NUS, Fuji Oil Asia and Fuji Oil Group will keep striving towards a scientific revolution of deliciousness and healthiness, and contribute to people’s happiness and well-being,” he said.
The students’ journey gave them the opportunity to gain both culinary and industry experience, as well as understand the necessity of teamwork. It spanned the whole process of food development, beginning with surveying the types of food items available in the market followed by brainstorming and conceptualising recipes. Together they then fine-tuned each recipe to determine the exact proportions to achieve the finalised product, and conducted nutritional analysis.
From left: Chu Hui Ting, Jie Ai, Wang Min Xian and Ng E-Dyl sharing their experience in a presentation during the event
The opportunity for creativity and innovation in putting their theoretical knowledge into practical application was one of the driving factors in this collaboration, said Lim Jie Ai, a third-year NUS-FST student involved in the project. “We could use our imagination to create value for soy in food. We could support sustainability, since soy is a sustainable resource of protein. We could also make a difference in the Asian culinary landscape by creating healthy and delicious food,” she added.
Some of the dishes developed, such as the various meat and soy protein fillings, have been commercialised while others are still in Research and Development stage. Fuji Oil Asia intends to continue the collaboration with NUS-FST over the next few years and has already roped in a second batch of NUS-FST students.
“Such collaborations open up students’ minds and encourage them to think, question and create,” said Dr Leong Lai Peng, Senior Lecturer at NUS-FST, and lecturer in charge of the collaboration. “The more experience you have, the better you are in creating new food products. The sky is the limit.”
From left: Min Xian, Hui Ting and E-Dyl during their stint with Fuji Oil Asia
