Vilenia Soy flour, derived from ground soybeans, boosts protein, brings moisture to baked goods, and provides the basis for some soymilks and textured vegetable protein. This versatile ingredient improves taste and texture of many common foods and often reduces the fat absorbed in fried foods. The taste of soy flour varies from a “beany” flavor to a sweet and mild flavor, depending on how it is processed. 
Nutrition Highlights
Soy flour is a great source of high quality soy protein, dietary fiber and important bio-active components, such as isoflavones. This versatile ingredient provides a good source of iron, B vitamins and potassium. Important bio-active components found naturally in soybeans are being studied in relation to relieving menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, maintaining healthy bones, and preventing prostate, breast cancers, and colorectal cancer. The content and profile of bio-active components varies from product to product, depending upon how much soy protein is in the food and how the soy protein is processed.
Soyfoods are a healthy protein source because of the high quality of protein that contains all essential amino acids needed for growth. Soyfoods are a good source of essential fatty acids and contain no cholesterol and little or no saturated fat. This comparison of the protein content of several flours indicates the high protein content of soy flours in relation to wheat flours (approximately):
Full-fat soy flour: 40 % protein
Low-fat soy flour: 52 % protein
Defatted soy flour: 55 % protein
Whole wheat flour: 16 % protein
Enriched white flour: 12 % protein
In addition to the excellent nutritional value of soy protein, scientists have found that consumption of soy protein can contribute to reducing the risk of heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol and increasing the flexibility of blood vessels. A recent scientific study, “Soy fiber improves weight loss and lipid profile in overweight and obese adults”, found that those consuming soy fiber from soy flour saw significant improvements in BMI, body weight, and LDL cholesterol. has shown that daily intake of the fiber in soy flour increases satiety The FDA has approved a health claim stating that “25 grams of soy protein in a daily diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol can help reduce total and LDL cholesterol that is moderately high to high.”
The Making of Soy Flour
A wide array of meat alternatives, dairy alternatives, and baked goods use various forms of soy flour. Soy flour is a product of milling soybean flakes that have either retained the soybean’s naturally occurring oil to make full fat flour or solvent-extracted the oil to make de-fatted flour. To make low-fat soy flour, a mechanical extractor process removes about 75% of the oil. Newer technologies extract oil from soy flour using high pressure carbon dioxide or other liquids. Full fat and de-fatted flour products appears in enzyme active or toasted forms and in different particle sizes from ultra fine powders (i.e., soy flour) to more coarse soy grits. Further processing soy flour produces dry textured nuggets called textured soy flour.
Nutrition Facts
1/4-cup serving of soy flour provides
| Defatted | % Daily Value | Full Fat1 | % Daily Value | Low Fat | % Daily Value | |
| Calories | 82 | 92 | 82 | |||
| Total Fat | 0g | 0% | 4g | 6% | 1.5g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat | 0g | 0% | 0.5g | 3% | 0g | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 10g | 3% | 7g | 2% | 8g | 3% |
| Protein | 12g | 24% | 7g | 14% | 10g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% | 0mg | 0% | 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 5mg | 0% | 3mg | 0% | 4mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 5g | 18% | 2g | 8% | 2g | 8% |
| Calcium | 60mg | 6% | 43mg | 4% | 41mg | 4% |
| Potassium | 596mg | 17% | 528mg | 15% | 565mg | 16% |
| Phosphorus | 168mg | 17% | 104mg | 10% | 130mg | 13% |
| Folate | 76mcg | 19% | 72mcg | 18% | 90mcg | 23% |
| Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17 (2004) | ||||||
| Average Total Isoflavones | 33mg | 37 mg | 50 mg | |||
This article is taken from www.soyfoods.com
