Do you know other uses of soybeans? One would be the production of soy trypsin inhibitor

Soybeans, one of the biggest commodities in the world, not only renowned for the capability to provide alternative foods sources but also used for different number of application in various industries.

The global leader in soybeans cultivation led by the US and central to South of America nations such as Brazil as well as Argentine followed by the biggest countries in Asia which are China and India.

What are uses of soybeans in food? When you strain the beans, it will produce liquid which what we know as the soy-milk that is proven effective to treat diabetes as it provides enough protein that beneficial for your body but relatively low in fat.

Another common use of soybeans is to make Tofu, one of the most versatile foods that widely used especially in various Asian dishes.

As one of the cheaper protein sources, tofu that made from the bean’s curd has equal nutritional value in comparison to a ten ounce of a beef steak. There are many other uses of soybeans especially as food source alternative.

There are soybeans based foods such as, cereals, cooking oils, flours, snacks, baby foods, cheeses and a lot more. Soybeans can also be used for additional or the main source of feed for cattle, fish, and poultry.

Nevertheless, food is not the only purpose that makes soybean is widely sought after. You can find different industrial based processes that utilized the more versatile side of soybeans to manufacture more effective and safer end products.

1. The harmful and yet beneficial soybean trypsin inhibitor

Soy trypsin inhibitor as the name suggest, slowing and controls an enzyme called the trypsin which produced by pancreas inside your body.

The trypsin main function is to break down protein inside the digestive system and degrading them.

The degraded protein known as protease acts as digester molecules in food.

In other words, the protease is an enzyme that helps to breakdown proteins faster so it can be absorbed and distributed inside your body easily.

The trypsin inhibitor will reverse the effect by stopping the trypsin to function properly. So what is Trypsin inhibitor used for and how can you get benefits from using it?

There is an approach of using Trypsin inhibitor in agriculture industries, which is to use it to modify and create insect resistant crops.

The inhibitor activated and produces anti metabolic activities on insect predators that are destructive.

So when insects start to destroy and eat the crops the Trypsin inhibitors will get into action by the disruption of protease inside the insects guts which eventually will kill them.

Just to make it more understandable, the soy trypsin inhibitor can be considered as a biochemical, one that can be integrated to create a new breed or transgenic crops that are resistant to certain types of pest insects.

So far this approach has been introduced to tobacco plantations in Africa, and the results are quite satisfactory. Recent studies show that this inhibitor may also acts as cancer preventive agent, however further research must be carefully done.

2. The more economical epoxidized soybean oil

Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) used to stabilize PVC and other plastic based materials.

As a result of soybean oil oxidation combined with hydrogen peroxide this liquid is considered lower in price when compared to other types of plastic stabilizers.

In addition, the soybean oil brings biodegradability property that somehow more environmental friendly which is why it becomes increasingly more popular these days.

Furthermore, the epoxidized soybean oil keeps rubbers and plastics to be more flexible.

The ESO also makes plastics soft and provides molecular stability. In addition the primary used of ESO as dispersing agent and of course the epoxy reactive diluents.

Other applications of ESO are additives for flavoring, fragrances, sealants, coatings, inks, adhesives and a lot more.

3. The eco-friendly soy fabric

The most used fiber in the world, is none other than cotton which is also and perhaps the only one that until today cannot be replicated or re-produced for synthetic versions.

However there is a huge concern in cotton cultivation process that is the use of chemicals which considerably much higher than any other crops producing fibers in the world.

The pesticides used on cotton crops may turn into carcinogenic due to prolong exposure.

The soybeans in this case, have been introduced as a safer alternative because you don’t need to use as much as chemicals as in growing cotton.

So what is soy fabric actually made from? You can develop fibers from the soy bean hulls, and get the enchanting looks of silks.

The good thing about soy bean fabric is that it absorb dyes quite well. The result is you will get deeper colors on the fabric while still can maintain the dyes amount used at minimum.

The soy protein fiber also resistant to bacteria, sun lights radiation, also when touching your skin will increase the collagen level.

However there is a weakness that you may need to be aware of, that this soy fabric probably not as strong and durable as cotton.