A historical note

The soya bean which originally stems from Central China was for a long time virtually the only source of protein for people in large parts of Asia. Still today, the people of many Asian countries get some 75% of their total protein intake from soya beans. The main soya producing countries are today the USA (61% of world production), Brazil, China, Canada, Argentina and Russia.

Botanical facts

The soya bean is a species of legume (glycine hispida) which is part of the fabaceae family. They grow in pods, like peas, on tall bean stalks of between 600 – 1000 mm high.

Nutritional analysis

Analysis of the soya bean’s main components shows a remarkably high protein content. The following figures are averages: 

Due to the complete absence of starch, the soya bean is quite different from our indigenous pulses which have a carbohydrate content of about 5% mostly in the form of starches.

The soya protein is highly nutritious, i.e. like meat, eggs, fish and dairy products it has vital amino acids. Due to the absence of purine, the body does not need to break anything down into uric acid and is therefore a superior choice of protein from a dietary point of view.

At 4.5 – 5%, the level of minerals is higher than that of most other important foods, e.g. it is 7 x higher than that of milk, c. 5 x higher than that of fish and eggs, c. 3 x higher than that of cereal flours and vegetables and 2 x higher than that of other legumes.

The minerals of the soya bean have an alkalising effect in our metabolism and therefore increase the alkaline reserves of our blood. The following table shows some of the minerals of the soya bean (per 100 g): 

Soya is a rich source of both fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, average values of 100 g of soya:

Professor W Kollath MD also points out the fact that soya beans are especially high in essential nutritional components (which he called “auxones”).

Effect

Consumption of large quantities of meat and eggs, i.e. constant intake of cholesterol, is a major contributing factor to many of today’s modern diseases such as heart problems, rheumatism, kidney and dermatological problems. Unlike animal protein however, soya protein does not contain cholesterol. This is from a dietary point of view a very important fact indeed.

The fat in soya is 99% digestible. Due to its high level of vital unsaturated fatty acids (vitamin F), the fat is nutritionally valuable and suitable for a weight-control diet.

The high levels of lecithin in soya, the second highest after eggs’, make soya an ideal food. Lecithin supports nerve and brain function and prevents steatosis (fatty degeneration of the liver). Soya is particularly recommended for diabetics due to the absence of starches in its carbohydrate contents. The completely starch-free soya carbohydrates comprise mainly sugars (stachyose, arabinose, galactan) which are metabolised by diabetics. Only 5 – 6 % of soya carbohydrates are metabolised into sugar.

The demands which are nowadays made of fully nutritional foods and diet products are fully met by the soya bean.

However, just like millet, soya can not be consumed in its natural, untreated state.

Our wide range of Zwicky soya products comprises: soya flakes and soya flours, sprayed with malt extract, soya flakes natural, coarse soya meal toasted and natural, soya semolina and soya flours toasted and natural, micro powder (30 g) in a number of different quality levels.