history of soy yogurt, soy acidophilus milk and other ... - SoyInfo Center

Note 2. This is the earliest document seen (Jan. 2010)
that mentions W.G. Thompson & Son (or Sons) Ltd. in
connection with soybeans. Address: Dep. of Dairy and Food
Science, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
209. Hang, Y.D.; Jackson, H. 1967. Preparation of soybean
cheese using lactic starter organisms. II. Effects of addition
of rennet extract and skimmilk. Food Technology 21(7):97-
100. July. [5 ref]
• Summary: The starter organism was Streptococcus
thermophilus. Curd from inoculated milk was cut, cooked,
pressed and dried. Effects of acetic acid, calcium sulfate,
rennet extract and skimmilk [skim milk] on cheese
production were tested. Possible use of Penicillium
roqueforti, P. camemberti or Mucor spp. as starter organisms
is mentioned. Showed that a satisfactory soybean cheese
could be prepared using a lactic fermentation with soymilk.
Address: Dep. of Dairy and Food Science, Univ. of Alberta,
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
210. Diamond, Holton W. 1967. Profi t potential of new
vegetable fat products. Paper presented at the 60th annual
convention of the Milk Industry Foundation and the 63rd
annual convention of the International Association of Ice
Cream Manufacturers. 9 p. Held jointly in Los Angeles,
California. Session on Marketing and Technology, Tuesday,
Oct. 24, 1967.
• Summary: Pages 5-6 state: “The fi nest vegetable milk
which I have seen is that which was made at one time at
the George Washington Carver Laboratory in Dearborn,
Michigan. During my work there in the years between 1940
and 1946, a great deal of technology was developed in the
manufacture of many kinds of vegetable dairy products.
A pilot type soy bean milk plant in which we made 150
gallons per day of soy bean milk and soy bean cream was
part of the laboratory. The milk and cream were supplied
at no cost to mothers of infants who were allergic to cow’s
milk, and to others; and the technology was shared freely
with all who were interested. The laboratory was supported
by the late Henry Ford, and he visited us often. A very great
deal has been done since, but much of the basic technology
now in use in this fi eld originated in this small laboratory, in
research which was made possible by the interest of Henry
Ford in the soy bean and in what has come to be called
‘chemurgy,’ the industrial use of the products of the farm and
of the soil...
“If you will share with me one experience, you can
imagine how I may have become prejudiced in my outlook
on cultured cheeses. Across a period of several months,
at my direction, a laboratory technician at the George
Washington Carver Laboratory inoculated samples of soy
bean milk and soy bean cream with portions of Cheddar,
Limburger, Roquefort, Camembert, Liederkrantz and other
cheeses.” None of the workmen wanted to open the incubator
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 105
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
door; in fact, they drew straws each Monday morning to see
who would have to do it.
Concerning the concept of “imitation” products: “A
product which is demonstrably less well suited to its intended
purposes than is a well known precursor which it resembles
and which is used for the same purposes is inferior. Because
of its inferiority, it is properly labeled and referred to in a
derogatory way as an ‘imitation’, for this word, both as an
adjective and as a noun, connotes inferiority.
“We are no longer ashamed of new or mixed-ingredient
materials merely because they are new or comprised of
components of different origins.” In almost every case
they are less expensive, and in some cases they are clearly
superior in at least some characteristics to their dairy
counterparts. Address: Rex Diamond Laboratories, Inc.,
Detroit, Michigan.
211. Nakano, Masahiro. ed. 1967. Hakkô shokuhin
[Fermented foods]. Tokyo: Korin Shoin. 244 p. See esp. p.
81-101. [Jap]
• Summary: Includes sections on soymilk yogurt (cultured
with Lactobacillus bulgaricus) and nyu fu [fermented tofu].
Chapter 6, Nyu fu notes that this is an ancient food that
came from China and Taiwan, but has never become a part
of Japanese cuisine. In the United States (and in English) it is
known as “Soybean cheese” and “Vegetable cheese,” while
in China it is known as “Nyufu” as well as Chaw taufu, Sufu,
Funyu, etc.
6.1.2–Places of production and varieties: Nyufu is made
mainly in the middle to southern four coastal provinces
of China. These include (pinyin / Wade-Giles): Jejiang /
Chekiang (Jap: Sekkô), Jiangsu / Kiangsu (Jap: Kôso),
Fujian / Fukien (Jap: Fukken), Guangdong / Kwangtung
(Jap: Kanton). A lot of Nyufu is also made in Taiwan, which
is located off the coast of Fujian province.
Since nyufu has been produced for a long time over a
vast area, there are many varieties. A study conducted in the
1920s found the varieties shown in chart 6.1 in the Shanghai
market (Shanghai is in Jiangsu province near the mouth of
the Yangtze River).
(1) Pickled without mold on the tofu. (i) Jianning-dofu:
Drain then dry the tofu, add salt, and pickle in jiang or the
residue / dregs left after making soy sauce.
(ii) Doufuru: Drain then dry the tofu. Sprinkle it with
salt then pickle it in koji.
(2) Culture mold on small cubes of tofu until a fragrant
white mycelium surrounds each cube, then pickle.
(iii) Jiangrufu: Pickle in jiang or the residue / dregs left
after making soy sauce.
(iv). Honjiang rufu [red jiang fermented tofu]: Pickle in
a mixture of red rice / angkak (a red koji made by growing
Monascus mold on rice) and the residue / dregs left after
making soy sauce.
(v) Zaorufu: Pickle in sake lees.