Soybean products Soybean sprouts can be used in salads and as vegetables.
Bean sprouts can be used in salads and as vegetables. Soybeans and wheat grains are crushed, moulded, fermented in brine for six months to more than a year, and the brown liquid produced is called soy sauce, which is widely used in Oriental cooking.
In the early 1980s, the United States became the world's largest soybean producer, followed by Brazil and China. Modern technology has diversified the uses of soybeans. Soybean oil can be processed into artificial butter, artificial cheese, and can also be made into paints, adhesives, fertilizers, sizing agents, linoleum, pesticides, and fire extinguishing agents.
Soy meal is a high-protein alternative to meat and can be made into a variety of foods, including baby food. Soy contains phytoestrogens that effectively inhibit the onset of estrogen, which is one of the main causes of breast cancer.
A group of mice that ate soy powder had a 70 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those that did not. In addition, soy contains a compound called indole-3-carbinol, which boosts an important enzyme in the body that helps break down excess estrogen and prevent the onset of breast cancer.
Because of its various uses, high nutritional value, extensive cultivation and easy export, soybean has played an important role in calming world hunger.
