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Review
. 2021 Jul 9;10(7):1594.
doi: 10.3390/foods10071594.

Changes of Soybean Protein during Tofu Processing

Xiangfei Guan  1   2 , Xuequn Zhong  1 , Yuhao Lu  1 , Xin Du  1 , Rui Jia  1 , Hansheng Li  2 , Minlian Zhang  1
Affiliations
Review

Changes of Soybean Protein during Tofu Processing

Xiangfei Guan et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Tofu has a long history of use and is rich in high-quality plant protein; however, its production process is relatively complicated. The tofu production process includes soybean pretreatment, soaking, grinding, boiling, pulping, pressing, and packing. Every step in this process has an impact on the soy protein and, ultimately, affects the quality of the tofu. Furthermore, soy protein gel is the basis for the formation of soy curd. This review summarizes the series of changes in the composition and structure of soy protein that occur during the processing of tofu (specifically, during the pressing, preservation, and packaging steps) and the effects of soybean varieties, storage conditions, soybean milk pretreatment, and coagulant types on the structure of soybean protein and the quality of tofu. Finally, we highlight the advantages and limitations of current research and provide directions for future research in tofu production. This review is aimed at providing a reference for research into and improvement of the production of tofu.

Keywords: mechanism; protein; structure; tofu.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Nutritional composition of soybean [5,6]; Protein Data Bank.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes of soybean protein during tofu processing [5,6]; Protein Data Bank.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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