Abstract:

In this study, different soaking methods were used to explore water-absorbing capacity of dehulled soybean and
emulsifying capability of soy milk. Single factor and orthogonal array designs were employed to study the effects of soybean
granularity, soaking time and soaking temperature on water-absorbing capacity of soybean. Meanwhile, the effect of soaking
time on emulsifying capability of soy milk was also investigated. The results indicated that the optimum soaking conditions
were soybean granular size of 2 mm, soaking temperature of 25 ℃, and soaking duration of 150 min. The soy milk prepared
with ground soybean with a particle size of 2 mm by 150 min soaking revealed the same emulsifying capability as that prepared
by the traditional method of 12 h soaking.

Key words: soybean, soaking methods, water-absorbing capacity, soy milk, emulsifying capability