A review on plant-based proteins from soybean: Health benefits and soy product development

Abstract

Proteins are essential to human nutrition and health, and it is crucial for the development of the human body. While animal proteins are considered to be the primary dietary protein source for decades, there is a paradigm shift in recent years on the dietary consumption patterns among the general population towards plant-based food proteins. As a result, plant protein production in the food industry has skyrocketed. Research has led to a closer look at diverse plant sources and their capacity to replace conventional animal-based proteins for health and environmental reasons. Soy protein is a high-quality protein with a protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of 1.00, which is close to some of the proteins from animal sources, such as meat and dairy. Soy proteins contain well-balanced essential amino acids except for sulfur-containing ones like methionine. They also have desirable textures with endless possibilities to formulate various sophisticated soy-based food products. Due to their high protein content and versatility in developing food products, soy proteins are the primary supply of plant-based proteins and are widely consumed by diverse populations worldwide. This review first briefly compared plant-based proteins with animal proteins regarding their health and environmental benefits, amino acid composition, and protein digestibility. As one of the most popular plant proteins, soy protein was introduced, and its byproducts-making processes (heat processing, protein isolation, and fermentation) were discussed in detail. Finally, the relationship between soy protein consumption and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, women menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, cancer, and abdominal body fat, was highlighted by analyzing recent clinical studies.