Nutrition & Food Science

Essential amino acids profile of differentially processed soy products and their
efficiency in meeting daily requirement
Vineet Kumar Anita Rani Lulua Hussain
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Vineet Kumar Anita Rani Lulua Hussain , (2016),"Essential amino acids profile of differentially
processed soy products and their efficiency in meeting daily requirement", Nutrition & Food Science,
Vol. 46 Iss 2 pp. 237 - 245
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Essential amino acids profile of Processed soy

products and
differentially processed soy their
efficiency
products and their efficiency in
meeting daily requirement 237
Vineet Kumar, Anita Rani and Lulua Hussain Received 9 July 2015
Revised 22 November 2015
Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Directorate of Soybean Research, Accepted 23 November 2015
Indore, India
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Abstract
Purpose – In the backdrop of declining per capita availability of pulses, soybean is the alternate source
to address protein deficiency in India. The study aims to assess the efficiency of soy products available
in the market for meeting the daily requirement of essential amino acids (EAAs).
Design/methodology/approach – Extruded soy products, namely, soy nuggets, granules, soy flour
manufactured from sprouts, spray-dried soy milk variants, ready-to-drink (RTD) soy beverage and
silken tofu, were analysed for EAAs by high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition,
efficiency of these products in terms of meeting the daily requirement of EAAs for an adult weighing 70
kg through a single serving (equivalent to 6 g protein) was also computed.
Findings – Leucine was the most concentrated EAA in all the soy products, except in variants of soy
milk. Total essential amino acids’ (TEAAs) content in soy flour was significantly higher compared to
soy nuggets and granules. Spray-dried plain soymilk exhibited a significantly higher level of TEAAs
content compared to flavoured variant and RTD soy beverage. Among all the products, silken tofu
exhibited the highest concentration of TEAAs. RTD soy beverage was the most efficient product for
meeting the daily requirement of isoleucine and valine, soy flour for aromatic amino acids and silken
tofu for lysine and leucine.
Originality/value – This work pertains to the determination of EAAs of commercial soy products
and assesses their efficiency in terms of meeting the daily requirement of EAAs. This type of technical
evaluation of soy products has not been conducted earlier.
Keywords Essential amino acids contents, Commercial soy products, Daily requirement
Paper type Technical paper

Introduction
Soybean, though the leading oilseed crop, is increasingly contemplated as one of the
most economical source of protein to mitigate mal- and under-nutrition in developing
countries. Presently, protein in Indian diet staggers at 37 per cent vis-à-vis world average
of 65.9 per cent (Menon, 2012), which is ascribed to the declining per capita availability
of pulses, the mainstay of protein source in staple diet, due to stagnant production and
limited international avenues for import. Presently, about 10 per cent of total soybean
produce in the country is utilised for processing food products (TAAS, 2014). Even
globally, barely 17 million tonne of total world soybean produce (261 mt) is utilised as Nutrition & Food Science
tofu, fermented products, etc. (Soybean Market Scan, 2012). Besides, soybean has Vol. 46 No. 2, 2016
pp. 237-245
emerged as the “functional food of the century” in the wake of several reports © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0034-6659
substantiating the role of bio-molecules, like isoflavones, saponins and tocopherols, DOI 10.1108/NFS-07-2015-0082
 NFS present along with soy protein, to stave off lifestyle diseases like diabetes,
46,2 cardiovascular diseases and obesity (Ali et al., 2004; Steinberg, 2007). A wide range of
conventional and next-generation soy products with novel formulations have appeared
in the market to cater to the needs of the health-conscious elite. Soy products available in
the market undergo varying processing treatments during the manufacturing of soy
products at the cottage and commercial scale, which impacts the amino acid profile
238 (Adyeye et al., 2010; Bujang and Tai, 2014; Dozier and Hess, 2011). Sprouting and
toasting has been reported to increase the concentration of essential amino acids (EAAs)
(Kricka et al., 2009; Mubarak, 2005). Besides, the addition of components like flavour,
sweetening agent, etc. while designing the formulations of novel products may also
affect the concentration of amino acids in the final product. Investigations concerning
the compositional traits like crude protein, carbohydrates, trypsin inhibitor, isoflavones,
phytic acid, etc. in the conventional soy products have been reviewed (Boye and
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Ribereau, 2011). However, the information on the EAAs content of commercial soy
products is not available. Barring an old study pertaining to amino acid composition of
defatted soy flour/grits (Cavins et al., 1972), no study concerning the amino acid
composition of next-generation soy products like extruded soy products, spray-dried
soy milk and ready-to-drink (RTD) soy beverage could be traced in literature. In the
present investigation, extruded products like soy nuggets, soy granules and soy flour
manufactured from sprouts; plain soy milk and flavoured soy milk powder
manufactured from spray-drying; RTD soy beverage; and silken tofu were analysed for
the concentration of EAAs contents. Further, efficiency of these products in terms of
meeting the daily requirement of EAAs as per the recommendation of FAO/WHO/UNU
(2007) was also assessed.

Material and methods

Material
Extruded soy products soy nuggets and granules: Standard packing of two brands of
nuggets and one brand of granules manufactured by an Indian corporate were
purchased from the local market. Soy flour, manufactured from soybean sprouts, was of
an indigenous brand. The sample of silken tofu was drawn from standard packing
(180 g) of a European brand marketed in India. RTD soy milk sample was drawn from
standard packing (240 ml capacity) of a reputed brand manufactured by an Indian
corporate. Spray-dried plain and flavoured soy milk were of standard packing (240 ml
capacity) of a reputed brand of an Indian corporate. The flavoured variant contained
dextrin for imparting sweetness to the preparation. Silken tofu was of a brand owned by
a European-based multinational company.

Methods
For estimation of the protein content in the oven-dried samples of all the soy products,
nitrogen content was determined by the micro-Kjeldahl method and multiplied by 6.25.
For amino acid analysis, 1 g of the sample was hydrolysed in 6M HCl at 105°C for 24 h
and filtered. The supernatant obtained was used for the determination of the contents of
amino acids by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-based amino acid
analyser using Waters Pump 510 and amino acid analysis kit procured from Waters
India Private Limited following the method given by Seo (2005).
 AccQ-Fluor reagent kit (WAT0528880- Waters India Private Limited) was used for Processed soy
derivatisation of the amino acids in the hydrolysed samples. AccQ-Fluor reagent was products and
reconstituted. In all, 70 ␮l of borate buffer was added to 10 ␮l of the diluted, hydrolysed
sample/standard amino acids mixture and vortexed. Subsequently, 20 ␮l of
their
reconstituted AccQ-Fluor reagent was added and heated for 10 min at 55°C. A 5 ␮l of efficiency
pre-derivatised amino acid mixture sample, standard and blank (deionised water) were
loaded into HPLC, which was equipped with Waters 510 binary pump and Waters 2,475 239
fluorescent detector. The separation of amino acids was performed on an AccQ-Tag
column (WAT052885). The mobile phase [AccQ-Tag eluent (WAT052890) as solvent A
and 60 per cent acetonitrile as solvent B] was run at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min in a
multi-step gradient. The concentration of solvent A/solvent B was 100/0, 98/2, 93/7,
90/10 and 70/30 at 0, 0.5,15,19 and 35 min, respectively, and was maintained for 3 min at
70/30 and brought to 100/0 at 40 min. The mobile phase was run for another 10 min at
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solvent A/solvent B: 100:0 concentration before injecting the next sample. The mobile
phase was passed through a filter paper (Whatman 40 mm, 0.25 micron) fitted onto an
HPLC solvent filtration unit prior to using for the separation of amino acids. The column
temperature was maintained at 37°C. The fluorescence detector was set at excitation and
emission wavelengths of 250 and 395 nm, respectively. The peaks of amino acids were
identified by comparing the retention time of each amino acid in the standard and
sample chromatogram. The ghost peaks in the sample and standard chromatogram
were rejected by comparing with the chromatogram of the blank (deionised water). The
data were analysed by software empower plus. The concentration of each amino acid
was calculated by comparing the peak area of a particular amino acid in the sample
chromatogram to the area of the corresponding peak in the standard amino acids
mixture chromatogram. The results of only EAAs, namely, phenylalanine, leucine,
isoleucine, lysine, valine, methionine, threonine, histidine, besides tyrosine, are
presented in Table I. The concentration of tyrosine in all the soy products is given in the
results in view of the recommendation of the daily requirement of phenyalanine in
combination with tyrosine by FAO/WHO/UNU (2007), the latter being the metabolic
product of the catabolism of the former. Acid hydrolysis-prone amino acids, namely,
tryptophan and cysteine, were not determined. The standard amino acid mixture
solution was prepared by adding 40 ␮l of the standard into 960 ␮l of distilled water.
␤-mercaptoethanol (0.2 per cent) was added into 6M HCl to give protection against the
oxidation of methionine as suggested by Pickering and Newton (1990).
Statistical analysis: The estimation was conducted in triplicate samples. Significant
differences for the contents of amino acids, total essential amino acids (TEAAs) and crude
protein between different soy products was assessed by computing the least significant
difference for each of the trait. All the analyses were performed using SAS version 9.3.

Results and discussion

The protein quality of a product is the function of the contents of the EAAs, which are
required for growth, reproduction and maintenance of the human body. Soybean seed
protein is known to contain all the EAAs, namely, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine,
valine, threonine, histidine and methionine. The concentration of nine amino acids (which
included eight EAAs, namely, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, valine, threonine,
methionine and histidine) and tyrosine, as determined by HPLC, in extruded products,
soyflour, spray-dried soy milk powder, RTD soy beverage and silken tofu are given (on dry
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46,2
NFS

240

products
Table I.

processed
amino acids
(g/100 g)1 of
differentially

commercial soy
Contents of essential
Extruded products Spray-dried soy milk
Nuggets Granules
EAA I II Soy flour Flavoured Plain RTD2 soy beverage Silken tofu
b b b d a a a
Phenylalanine 2.8 ⫾ 0.08 3.0 ⫾ 0.09 3.2 ⫾ 0.09 4.0 ⫾ 0.16 2.6 ⫾ 0.03 2.6 ⫾ 0.08 2.4 ⫾ 0.1 3.6 ⫾ 0.09c
Leucine 3.5 ⫾ 0.12d 3.4 ⫾ 0.06d 4.4 ⫾ 0.08f 4.1 ⫾ 0.16e 1.7 ⫾ 0.03a 3.1 ⫾ 0.09c 2.5 ⫾ 0.1b 5.9 ⫾ 0.2h
Isoleucine 2.2 ⫾ 0.08b 2.1 ⫾ 0.08b 2.2 ⫾ 0.08b 3.1 ⫾ 0.09d 1.2 ⫾ 0.03a 2.6 ⫾ 0.08c 2.4 ⫾ 0.1c 2.9 ⫾ 0.12d
Lysine 2.9 ⫾ 0.06c 2.7 ⫾ 0.06c 2.3 ⫾ 0.08b 2.9 ⫾ 0.08d 2.0 ⫾ 0.06b 3.8 ⫾ 0.12e 1.5 ⫾ 0.03a 5.3 ⫾ 0.2f
Valine 2.0 ⫾ 0.08b 2.0 ⫾ 0.06b 2.4 ⫾ 0.06c 3.0 ⫾ 0.09d 1.3 ⫾ 0.03a 2.1 ⫾ 0.08b 2.1 ⫾ 0.08b 3.0 ⫾ 0.06d
Threonine 1.1 ⫾ 0.05b 1.4 ⫾ 0.04b 1.8 ⫾ 0.05cd 1.3 ⫾ 0.03c 0.8 ⫾ 0.04a 1.2 ⫾ 0.04b 0.7 ⫾ 0.018a 2.1 ⫾ 0.08d
Methionine 0.3 ⫾ 0.01b 0.4 ⫾ 0.02b 1.0 ⫾ 0.05e 0.2 ⫾ 0.01a 0.60 ⫾ 0.02c 0.7 ⫾ 0.03d 0.59 ⫾ 0.02c 1.0 ⫾ 0.01e
Histidine 1.2 ⫾ 0.05bc 1.4 ⫾ 0.01c 0.99 ⫾ 0.04b 0.99 ⫾ 0.05b 0.60 ⫾ 0.02a 1.1 ⫾ 0.05b 0.42 ⫾ 0.02a 1.1 ⫾ 0.04b
Tyrosine 1.3 ⫾ 0.05c 1.3 ⫾ 0.05c 1.1 ⫾ 0.04b 2.9 ⫾ 0.12e 0.89 ⫾ 0.03a 2.3 ⫾ 0.08d 1.0 ⫾ 0.03a 2.8 ⫾ 0.07e
3
TEAA 17.7c 18.1c 19.6d 22.8e 11.8a 19.8d 13.8b 28.0f
TEAA as % total protein 37.5 35.8 38.9 50.8 48.6 52.4 51.7 46.7
Total protein% 47.1 50.5 50.2 45.0 24.3 46.2 26.7 60.0

Notes: 1 The values given are mean of triplicate sample ⫾ standard deviation and are presented on dry weight basis. Statistical differences among samples
for individual amino acids were estimated from the analysis of variance test [n ⫽ 24; 3 (replicates) ⫻ 8 (soy products)]; 3 the values superscripted with
different alphabets are significantly different (p ⬍ 0.05); 2 ready-to-drink; 3 total essential amino acids
 weight basis) in Table I. Table I also contains the total protein content of all the Processed soy
afore-mentioned products. The concentration of tyrosine in all the soy products was products and
estimated in view of the collective recommendation for phenylalanine and tyrosine, the latter
being the metabolic product of the catabolism of the former, by FAO/WHO/UNU (2007). The
their
crude protein content (on dry weight basis) in nuggets brand I, nuggets brand II, granules, efficiency
soy flour, spray-dried plain soymilk and silken tofu was 47.2, 50.5, 50.3, 45.0, 46.3 and 60.0
per cent, respectively. These soy products were categorised under high protein-containing 241
soy products. Spray-dried flavoured soy milk and RTD soy beverage, which were found to
contain 24.3 and 26.7 per cent protein content, respectively, were categorised as low
protein-containing soy products.
TEAAs content in soy nuggets brand I, nuggets brand II, granules, soy flour,
spray-dried flavoured soy milk, spray-dried plain soy milk, RTD soy beverage and
silken tofu was 37.57, 35.84, 38.96, 50.82, 48.68, 52.40, 51.71 and 46.73 per cent of the total
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protein, respectively. Significant differences (p ⬍ 0.05) were observed for all the EAAs
across the different type of products. The concentrations of both the aromatic amino
acids, i.e. phenylalanine and tyrosine, were maximal in soy flour. However, the
differences in concentration of tyrosine in soy flour and silken tofu were non-significant
(p ⬍ 0.05). With regard to contents of branched amino acids, maximum concentration of
leucine was found in silken tofu (5.91 g/100 g), isoleucine in soy flour (3.15 g/100 g),
valine in soy flour (3.05 g/100 g) and threonine in silken tofu (2.15 g/100 g). The
differences in the concentrations of isoleucine and valine were non-significant in soy
flour and silken tofu. The minimum concentration of the three branched amino acids,
namely, leucine, isoleucine and valine, was observed in spray-dried flavoured soy milk
powder. The concentration of lysine was found to be maximal in silken tofu
(5.35 g/100 g) and minimal in RTD soy beverage (1.54 g/100 g).
Soy nuggets (brand I and brand II) and soy granules, also termed as texturised
vegetable protein, are manufactured from the defatted soy meal by an extrusion
technology. Because of their hydration properties, they are quick-to-cook and can be
integrated into many Indian curries. In both the brands of soy nuggets investigated in
the study, leucine was the most concentrated EAA. The differences in concentrations of
individual EAAs, namely, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, valine, histidine,
threonine and methionine as well as the contents of TEAAs in the two brands of nuggets
were not significant (p ⬍ 0.05). Similar to soy nuggets, leucine was the most
concentrated EAA in soy granules. Similar to soy nuggets, leucine was the most
concentrated EAA in soy granules. However, the concentration of TEAAs in soy
granules was 19.59 g/100 g, which was significantly (p ⬍ 0.05) higher than both the
brands of soy nuggets (17.72, 18.10 g/100 g). The significant differences in EAAs
contents between soy granules and nuggets may be due to the variation in the
processing treatment and extrusion conditions during industrial manufacturing of
granules and nuggets.
Soy flour sourced from the market was manufactured from soybean sprouts. In this
product, leucine and phenylalanine with concentrations of 4.19 and 4.08 g/100 g,
respectively, were the dominant EAAs followed by isoleucine (3.15 g/100 g). The content
of leucine was significantly (p ⬍ 0.05) higher than both the brands of soy nuggets, while
the content of phenylalanine was significantly (p ⬍ 0.05) higher than both the brands of
soy nuggets as well as soy granules. The concentration of TEAAs per 100 g (22.89 g) in
soy flour was significantly (p ⬍ 0.05) higher than in both the brands of soy nuggets as
 NFS well as in soy granules. A higher proportion of EAAs in soy flour (manufactured from
46,2 the sprouted soybean) compared to soy nuggets and granules is supported by earlier
studies exhibiting increase in EAAs content as a result of sprouting (Suleiman et al.,
2008; Taraseviscience et al., 2009). Conversely, lower concentration of EAAs in the
extruded products, namely, soy nuggets and granules may be due to the extrusion
processing treatment, which has been reported to diminish the concentrations of EAAs
242 (Paes and Maga, 2004; Varga-Visi et al., 2009). In the soy milk category, the protein
content in spray-dried plain soymilk was 46.29 per cent, while spray-dried flavoured soy
milk and RTD soy beverage exhibited 24.38 and 26.71 per cent protein content,
respectively. A significant (p ⬍ 0.05) lower protein content in spray-dried flavoured soy
milk and RTD soy beverage compared to the plain spray-dried soy milk may be
attributed to the addition of sugars/dextrin and flavour components during the
formulation of the former products. Lysine was the most concentrated EAA
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(3.89 g/100 g) in spray-dried plain soymilk, while phenylalanine and leucine were the
most abundant EAAs in spray-dried flavoured soy milk (2.63 g/100 g) and RTD soy
beverage (2.58 g/100 g), respectively. TEAAs content in spray-dried plain soy milk
(19.82 g/100 g) was significantly (p ⬎ 0.05) high compared to spray-dried flavoured soy
milk (11.87 g/100 g) and RTD soy beverage (13.81 g/100 ml).
Contents of all the EAAs except phenylalanine were significantly (p ⬍ 0.05) high in
the spray-dried plain milk powder compared to the flavoured milk powder. The
packaged silken tofu (180 g) was found to contain 85 per cent moisture content with
60.04 per cent crude protein content (on dry weight basis), which was significantly
(p ⬍ 0.05) higher than all the soy products tested. Leucine (5.91 g/100 g) and lysine (5.35
g/100 g) were the most concentrated EAAs in this product, and their concentrations
were significantly high (p ⬍ 0.05) compared to all other products. Further, silken tofu
exhibited TEAAs content to the magnitude of 28.0 g/100 g, which was the highest
among all the soy products tested. We could not find the studies concerning the contents
of EAAs in spray-dried soy milk and silken tofu for comparison of our results.
Further, according to a health claim, the consumption of 25 g of soy protein per day
reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and provides other health benefits (Food and
Drug Administration, 1999). Intake of 25 g protein can be distributed into four servings
of 6 g each. A requirement of 6 g protein from low moisture (8 per cent at ambient
conditions) containing products, namely, soy nuggets brand I, soy nuggets brand II, soy
granules, soy flour, spray-dried flavoured soy milk and spray-dried plain soy milk (8 per
cent moisture at ambient conditions) would be met through a quantity of 13.82, 12.91,
12.96, 14.47, 26.75, 14.08 g, respectively. For high moisture-containing products, like
silken tofu and RTD soy beverage (90.7 per cent moisture), the requisite intake for
availing 6 g soy protein per serving would be 133.26 g and 240 ml, respectively. Based
upon the presence of EAAs (mg) per gram of the protein of each of the soy products
tested (Table I), the percentage of the daily requirement of EAAs for an adult weighing
70 kg, which can be provided through a single serving of these products, was computed.
According to consultation of FAO/WHO/UNU (2007), the requirement for
phenylalanine ⫹ tyrosine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, valine, threonine and histidine was
25, 39, 20, 30, 26, 15, 10.4 and 10 mg per kg of the body weight of the adult, respectively.
The daily requirement for an adult weighing 70 kg for phenylalanine ⫹ tyrosine,
leucine, isoleucine, lysine, valine, threonine and histidine is given in Table II. The
percentage of daily requirement for each of the EAAs provided through a single serving
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Extruded products Spray-dried soymilk

Nuggets Granules
EAA (mg)/serving DR for adult2 I II Soy flour Flavoured Plain RTD soy beverage Silken tofu

Phenylalanine ⫹ tyrosine 1,750 535 (30.6) 527 (30.1) 515 (29.4) 929 (53.1) 866 (49.5) 639 (36.5) 779 (44.5) 647 (37.0)
Leucine 2,730 451 (16.5) 407 (14.9) 532 (19.4) 558 (20.4) 440 (16.1) 410 (15.0) 579 (21.2) 590 (21.6)
Isoleucine 1,400 291 (14.9) 257 (18.4) 267 (19.09) 419 (29.9) 302 (21.6) 338 (24.1) 552 (39.4) 295 (21.1)
Lysine 2,100 370 (17.6) 320 (15.2) 274 (13.0) 396 (18.9) 502 (23.9) 504 (24.0) 345 (16.4) 534 (25.4)
Valine 1,820 258 (14.1) 247 (13.5) 290 (15.9) 406 (22.3) 322 (17.7) 276 (15.1) 471 (25.9) 301 (16.5)
Threonine 1,050 151 (14.4) 174 (16.6) 222 (21.1) 185 (17.6) 191 (18.2) 159 (15.1) 146 (13.9) 214 (20.4)
Methionine 728 41.9 (5.7) 46.3 (6.3) 118 (16.2) 21.3 (2.9) 147 (20.2) 90.7 (12.4) 132 (18.2) 99.9 (13.7)
Histidine 700 153 (21.9) 168 (24.1) 118 (16.8) 131 (18.8) 147 (21.0) 149 (21.2) 94.3 (13.4) 109 (15.7)

Notes: 1 The quantity of soy nugget brand I, soy nugget brand II, granules, soy flour, flavoured soy milk powder, plain soy milk powder, silken tofu and
ready-to-drink (RTD) soy milk, which is equivalent to 6 g protein, is 13.82 g, 12.91 g, 12.96 g, 14.47 g, 26.75 g, 14.08 g, 133.26 g and 240 ml, respectively. The
value given in parenthesis is the comparative efficiency, which is the percentage of the daily requirement fulfilled by a single serving for each amino acid
(computed by the availability of each amino acid divided by daily requirement ⫻ 100); 2 DR indicates the daily requirement (mg) for an adult weighing
70 kg

serving1
Table II.
243
efficiency
their

through a single
acids (EAAs)
products and

of essential amino
efficiency of soy
Comparative
Processed soy

the daily requirement

products in meeting
 NFS of the products was computed by dividing the daily requirement of the particular amino
46,2 acid (for 70 kg body weight) by the quantity available of the same EAA per serving of
the product, multiplied by 100. Among all the products tested, maximum percentage
(53.1 per cent) of the daily requirement of aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine ⫹
tyrosine) was met through a single serving of soy flour. A single serving of RTD milk
fulfilled 39.4 and 25.9 per cent of the daily requirement of isoleucine and valine,
244 respectively, while silken tofu was the most efficient (21.6 per cent) for leucine. The
maximum percentage of daily requirement of histidine (24.1 per cent) was provided
through nuggets (brand II) and granules, respectively. For meeting the daily needs of
threonine, soy granules were the most efficient (21.1 per cent). Similarly, for meeting the
daily requirement of lysine through a single serving, silken tofu was the most efficient
(25.4 per cent). The maximum percentage of the daily requirement of methionine, the
most limiting amino acid in soybean, was met through spray-dried flavoured soy milk
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(20.2 per cent).

Conclusions
Diversification of soy protein into tailoring products with mass appeal is the emerging
trend across developing countries to ensure nutritional security. In the present study,
commercially available extruded soy products (soy nuggets/granules), soy flour,
spray-dried soymilk, RTD soy beverage and silken tofu were subjected to EAA
analysis. These differentially processed soy products showed significant differences in
TEAA and individual EAA content. The study showed lowest value of TEAAs as a
percentage of the total protein content in extruded soy products compared to other
products. Aromatic amino acids, namely, phenylalanine and tyrosine, were most
concentrated in soy flour manufactured from sprouts, while branched amino acids,
namely, leucine, lysine, threonine, were most concentrated in silken tofu. The different
products exhibited differential efficiency for meeting the daily requirement of different
EAAs.

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Corresponding author
Vineet Kumar can be contacted at: vineetksahni@yahoo.com

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