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process of calico printing.”
“It will be seen from the foregoing rèsumè, that the
fabrication of vegetable casein for industrial purposes has
immense possibilities, only exceeded in importance by the
alimentary value of its food products for man and for beast.
Note 7. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary
(1963) defi nes Galalith (a registered trademark)–as “used for
a hornlike plastic [also resembling ivory or bone] made from
casein [milk protein] and formaldehyde and used especially
in making small molded objects (as buttons, beads, or
combs).” This is the earliest document seen (Nov. 2003) that
mentions Galalith in connection with soy protein. Galalith,
“a new horn-like product from cow’s milk,” was sold
commercially by Nov. 1905 and the process was protected
by patents “in all civilized countries” (Monthly Consular and
Trade Reports, USA. 1905. No. 302. Nov. p. 243.)
Conclusion: “A Chinese factory has already been
established on the outskirts of Paris (at Vallées near
Colombes) to make food products based on soya (produits
alimentaires à base de Soja). This factory now produces tofu
(Caséo-Sojaïne) and the following food products: Soy fl our,
soy bread, soy sauce, sweet soya preserves (confi ture de
Soja), soymilk (lait de soja), fermented soymilk (lait de Soja
fermenté), tofu (fromage de Soja), etc.
Note 8. We wonder: Was Beltzer infl uence more by Li
Yu-ying, or was Li infl uenced more by Beltzer? Both did
independent and original research, however by Dec. 1910,
some 6-7 months before this article was published, Li had
applied for two French patents and three British patents
which describe how to make various soy products in detail–
including many of those products described by Beltzer.
Therefore, we believe that Li infl uenced Beltzer more than
Beltzer infl uenced Li.
“The Indochinese prepare, in addition, a fermented
liquor, a concentrated milk, an alimentary fl our, and a
casein which forms the essential food of the people... Many
Europeans are preoccupied with extracting part of the
nutritive principles that exist so abundantly in the seeds,
for the feeding of armies at war and of colonial troops...
Hopefully the question of food uses of soy will be taken up
at the same time as the manufacture of industrial casein, and
that this will permit the utilization of the immense resources
that our Indochinese colonies offer as raw materials.”
Note 9. Later in 1911 this article was summarized in
Scientifi c American Supplement and printed as a special
booklet.
Note 10. This is the earliest document seen (May 2000)
that uses the term la Caséo-Sojaïne to refer to a food–
clearly to tofu. Li Yu-ying coined this term, apparently after
considerable thought and research. However the author
also uses the term fromage végétale to refer to tofu–perhaps
more generically. Martine Liguori, a native French speaker
who is interested in tofu, noted in an interview (May 2000):
“This term for tofu doesn’t sound foreign. Rather it sounds
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 29
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somewhat scientifi c, learned, and upper-class, as from the
techno-elite. If you don’t know what it means, that’s because
you are not well enough educated. In France, people will
adopt something that is upper class, but they resist foreign
things–even foreign words. This whole idea originated in
France when Napoleon created the Grandes Ecoles (French
graduate schools) to develop an intellectual elite to replace
the royal elite.”
Note 11. This is the earliest document seen (April 2001)
that mentions dried tofu. Address: Ingénieur-chimiste.
20. Product Name: [Lactic Fermented Soya Milk (Perhaps
Soy Yogurt)].
Foreign Name: Lait de Soja Fermenté.
Manufacturer’s Name: Usine de la Caseo-Sojaine.
Manufacturer’s Address: Valles, Colombes (near Asnieres,
Seine), northwest of Paris, France.
Date of Introduction: 1911. June.
New Product–Documentation: Note: We know that a
fermented soymilk product was sold by this company and
we know that its founder and owner, Li Yu-ying, wrote about
soy yogurt, but we do not know what the consistency (liquid
milk vs. solid or semisolid yogurt) of the fermented soymilk
product sold actually was.
Li, Yu-ying. 1910. “Vegetable milk and its derivatives.”
British Patent 30,275. 5 p. Date of application, 30 Dec.
1910. Accepted 29 Feb. 1912. See p. 2. “For the fermented
milk, the special ferment termed ‘sojaobacille’ is employed
or other ferments used for obtaining fermented milks–kephir
[kefi r], yoghourt [yogurt], koumiss, and the like, and which
are the saccharomyces cerevisæ, dispora caucasica, maya
bulgare, and the like, and the said milk is modifi ed by the
addition of sugar levulose, and the like and particularly of
lactose.”
Beltzer, Francis J.-G. 1911. “Études sur la caséine
végétale du “soja” et ses applications [Studies on the
vegetable casein of soybeans and its applications”]. Revue
Scientifi que 49(23):716-20. June 10. See p. 720. Conclusion:
“A Chinese factory has already been established on the
outskirts of Paris (at Vallées near Colombes) to make food
products based on soya (produits alimentaires à base de
Soja).” This factory now produces various food products,
including fermented soymilk (lait de Soja fermenté).
Scientifi c American Supplement. 1911. “Extended
utilization of soya bean products: Milk, cheese, and a variety
of other products from a vegetable seed.” Aug. 19. p. 115.
“A Chinese factory has been established [by Li Yu-ying] not
far from Paris for the purpose of manufacturing alimentary
products from Soya, and it has already put on the market...
fermented milk, etc.”
Li, Yu-ying; Grandvoinnet, L. 1912. “Le soja [The
soybean”]. Agriculture Pratique des Pays Chauds (Bulletin
du Jardin Colonial) 12(106):28-38. Jan. See p. 30. The
section titled “Action of ferments [enzymes] and diastases