Mycological and Nutrient Profile of Soymilk

Ezekiel C.N and Fapohunda S.O*.

Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Babcock University, Ilisan Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Corresponding author Email: oystak@yahoo.co.uk

Accepted 07 May 2012

Abstract

The mycological profile during soymilk processing, nutrient profile and keeping quality of the milk were studied. Two moulds–Rhizopus nigricans and Neurospora sitophila were implicated as processing contaminants. The freshly prepared soymilk was rich in iron, calcium and potassium. Conversely, the milk contained very low amounts of total fermentable sugar (0.022%). Gas chromatography analysis showed consequent low alcohol content (4%). An evaluation of the effect of inorganic chemical preservatives on fungal growth and sensory parameters showed that soymilk fortified with calcium chloride significantly (P<0.05) enhanced sensory characteristics and exhibited a high inhibitory activity against the moulds–R. nigricans and N. sitophila, especially at 3.5g/L concentration than other salts. Therefore, calcium chloride may serve as a better inorganic chemical preservative over sodium salts in soymilk processing for large scale commercial purposes since it is capable of suppressing mould contamination at the same time enhancing organoleptic properties.

Keywords: Soymilk; Fungi; Food quality; Preservation; Sensory characteristics.