by Jims Vincent Capuno
Figuring out what’s the best meat alternative on earth? Look no further, it is soybean (scientific name: Glycine max). Experts consider soybean as one of the best sources of complete protein. A complete protein is one that contains significant amounts of all the essential amino acids that must be provided to the human body because of the body’s inability to synthesize them.
As the US Food and Drug Administration claims, “Soybean protein products can be good substitutes for animal products because, unlike some other beans, soy offers a ‘complete’ protein profile. Soybean protein products can replace animal-based foods – which also have complete proteins but tend to contain more fat, especially saturated fat – without requiring major adjustments elsewhere in the diet.”
On account of its extraordinary qualities, soybean is known as “the meat that grows on crops.” In the United States, soybean is one of the most important sources of vegetable oil. Its seeds contain 44 percent of the best quality protein. Weight for weight, its protein content is approximately twice that of meat and 12 times that of milk.
“Soybean can supplement or replace our daily protein requirements which we usually derive from animal and marine sources,” wrote Dr. Crisanto Escano in a report submitted to the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) some years back.
The origins of the soybean plant are obscure, but many botanists believe it came from China. The soybean has been used in the said country for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs. According to the ancient Chinese, in 2853 BC the legendary Emperor Shennong proclaimed that five plants were sacred: soybean, rice, wheat, barley, and millet.
Cultivation of soybeans was long confined chiefly to China, but gradually spread to other countries. From about the first century AD to the Age of Discovery (15-16th century), soybeans were introduced into several countries in Asia, including the Philippines.
Today, Filipinos have long adopted soybeans in their diet with soy sauce, soy cheese (tokwa), soy paste (miso), soy curds (tahuri), salted beans (taosi), and soy cheese with syrup (taho). Recent products include soy flour, soymilk, and soybean lecithin.
Soybean has big prospects in agriculture, particularly in the livestock industry. Soybean meal accounts for a significant part of commercial feed formulation. Owing to a strong demand for meat products, the need for soybean meal as feed ingredient is likely to expand even more. In fact, some feed millers are willing to buy whatever volume farmers could produce.
Unfortunately, much of the soybean meal required for commercial mixed animal feed is not supplied locally. Soybean meal demand for this purpose is largely met through imports. Once importation is lessened, commercial feed production is likely to experience bad times.
Other bright prospects for the soybean market lie in the growing popularity of soy-based food products. Taho, for instance, is fast becoming a favorite snack among both urban and rural folks. Protein-fortified cereal made from soybean, combination soy and cow’s milk, and pure soymilk for infants allergic to cow’s milk, are slowly carving a niche in the local market.
“In this light, it is not farfetched to predict that soymilk may someday be used to replace expensive whole cow’s milk in dairy products like ice cream, as is now being done with tokwa in meat dishes,” Dr. Escano pointed out in his PCARRD report.
Indeed, soybean production has a wide potential in the Philippines. According to the Davao-based Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation, Inc., soybeans can be grown in any part of the country, except in areas with heavy rainfall.
“Farmers can plant soybeans in nearly all types of soil, but best results are obtained from mellow, fertile, sandy or clay loam soil,” says Roy C. Alimoane, the MBRLC director. “The crop doesn’t germinate well in soil that is too dry or too wet.”
Dr. Escano said soybean can be profitably grown in lowland rice-based cropping system (LRBCS) or in upland crop-based cropping scheme (UCBCS).
In LRBCS, soybean can be planted in a well-drained lowland rice field where water supply is inadequate for a second rice crop. It can also be relay-planted (the planting of second crop with the first before the latter is harvested) to make use of time in the cropping season and to maximize water use. Soybeans are grown starting November to early December, after one rice cropping. While for two rice cropping systems (two rice crops followed by soybeans), the legumes are planted from February to May.
In UCBCS, soybean is a good rotation/alternative crop or intercrop in areas where upland rice or corn is the main crop. It may be intercropped with sugarcane, sorghum, coconut, citrus or other row crops that are not yet fully grown. In upland cropping system, soybean is planted during the wet season (July to October). It can also be planted from November to January after upland rice.
Soybeans are ready for harvest 120 to 150 days after planting, depending upon the variety planted and the season when they are grown. For general purposes, the crop can be harvested when about 90 percent are mature. In harvesting, the plants may be pulled and tied into small bundles. These bundles may be set into stacks and threshed as soon as they are dry.
There are many several other uses of soybeans. In China, Japan, and Korea, soybean and products made from the bean are a popular part of the diet. The Chinese invented tofu and also made use of several varieties of soybean paste as seasonings.
Immature soybeans may be boiled whole in their green pod and served with salt, under the Japanese name edamame. Because of the proclaimed health benefits of soy, edamame has been featured as an ideal snack alternative in fitness and healthy living magazines.
Soybeans are also used in industrial products including oils, soap, cosmetics, resins, plastics, inks, crayons, solvents, and clothing.
