Relationship between Glycation and Polyphenol Content and the Bioactivity of Selected Commercial Soy Milks.

Soy milk is a health-promoting beverage of which consumption is steadily expanding. Different bioactivities have been associated with soy products such as antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory properties, or decrease of cancer development risk. These activities have been related to the presence of several compounds, including polyphenols and serine protease inhibitors, although factors influencing such activities have been scarcely studied. In this study, we have determined the antioxidant capacity (ABTS and FRAP methods measured with the global antioxidant response, GAR protocol), total phenolic content, serine protease inhibitory activity, and presence of heat damage indicators in commercial soy milks. Polyphenols were primarily responsible for the antioxidant capacity of soy milks, increasing their concentration after digestion. Glycation under heat treatment might be responsible for decreasing protease inhibitory activities in soy milks. The results obtained support a role for furosine, a known marker of Maillard reaction and glycation, as a potential indicator to monitor both thermal treatment and effects on protease inhibitory activities in soy milk. The contribution of soy milk consumption to the daily intake of antioxidants and serine protease inhibitory activities is discussed.

Quantitative determination of active Bowman-Birk isoinhibitors, IBB1 and IBBD2, in commercial soymilks.

Naturally-occurring serine protease inhibitors of the Bowman-Birk family exert their potential chemopreventive and/or therapeutic properties via protease inhibition. In this study, we have quantified the amounts of active BBI isoinhibitors, IBB1 and IBBD2, in six commercial soymilks. By using cation exchange chromatography, the BBI isoinhibitors were isolated and their specific trypsin inhibitory activity was used to estimate their amounts in soymilk samples. IBB1 and IBBD2 concentrations ranged from 0.44 to 5.20 and 0.27 to 4.60 mg/100ml of soymilk, respectively; total BBI, considered as the sum of both isoinhibitors, ranged from 0.60 to 9.07 mg/100ml of soymilk. These data show that physiologically relevant amounts of active BBI are present in commercial soymilk and may exert potential health-promoting effects.

Peptides in pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysates from commercially available soy products that inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in macrophages.

The potential of pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysates, from different foods, to inhibit inflammation using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages as an in vitro model was evaluated. Eight different products were digested sequentially with pepsin and pancreatin and were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory properties. Hydrolysates from strawberry-banana soymilk (SBH), mixed berry soymilk (MXH) and vanilla soymilk (SVMH) inhibited the production of nitric oxide (27.9%, 16.4% and 28.6%, respectively), interleukin-1ß (26.3%, 39.5% and 21.6%, respectively) and tumour necrosis factor-α (50.2%, 47.5% and 33.3%, respectively). In addition, SBH, MXH and SVMH inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory enzymes: inducible nitric oxide synthase (66.7%, 65.1% and 88.0%, respectively) and cyclooxygenase-2 (62.0%, 69.9% and 40.6%, respectively). Bioactive peptides (RQRK and VIK) were generated. In conclusion, soymilk products can potentially be used to maintain health under inflammatory stress.

Soymilk as a novel milk replacer to stimulate early calf starter intake and reduce weaning age and costs.

The primary objective was to determine the effects of partial replacement of whole milk with soymilk on preweaning calf performance and weaning costs. Following 3 d of colostrum and transition milk feeding, 18 male and 9 female neonatal Holstein calves (41.6 +/- 1.6 kg of body weight; mean +/- SE) were assigned in a completely randomized design to 3 treatments offered at 10% of body weight (wet basis) including 1) whole milk (control), 2) 75% whole milk + 25% soymilk (S25), or 3) 50% whole milk + 50% soymilk (S50). The weaning criterion was defined as the calf age at a daily intake of >/=900 g of starter concentrate. During the first 2 wk of the experiment, treatments did not differ in starter intake and fecal score. Calves fed S25 gained similar amount of body weight as calves fed whole milk diet. By 49 d of age, also, calves on S25 gained similar body weight as did calves on whole milk diet. Calves on S25 and S50 achieved the weaning criterion, respectively, about 10 and 12 d earlier than did peers on whole milk. The soymilk-fed calves consumed less milk than control calves to meet the weaning criterion owing to promoted starter intake. Feed-related weaning costs dropped by about 35% when soymilk was fed because whole milk was about 50% more expensive than both soymilk and starter concentrate. Feeding soymilk at up to 50% of the milk diet maintained health during the first 2 to 4 wk of age when the neonate calf is highly sensitive to nonmilk proteins and plant antinutrients. Results introduce soymilk as an economic partial substitute for whole milk in calf-raising facilities.