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

product.” That is not true for pasteurized tofu. Azumaya
had tests done in 1983 after Yersinia was found in tofu in
Illinois and the state clamped down on tofu. Azumaya had
a laboratory inoculate tofu with the four potentially toxic
microorganisms (Yersinia, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and
Clostridium Botulinum) then pasteurize it like Azumaya
does. They found that these organisms start growing only
after 6 weeks at 69ºF, and by that time the tofu was too sour
and smelled too bad to eat, and the water was very cloudy.
These tests showed that pasteurized tofu is not potentially
hazardous. But the FDA does not distinguish between
pasteurized and non-pasteurized tofu.
If health inspectors required all tofu to be moved out
of the produce case, the produce buying division of each
chain would decide where to relocate it. There are many
considerations, and the main one to the produce division
accounting department is that they get tofu sales credited
to them no matter where it is sold. They have spent more
than a decade to build the sales of this product and they are
not about to give that up to the dairy department. They will
put tofu into a refrigerated case where the temperature is
at 45ºF or below. Even when tofu is sold in the dairy case
at Safeway, it still has a produce department label on it!
Other than the produce case, Bill would like to see the tofu
sold right next to the produce case, in a metal juice case.
The produce department likes tofu with the vegetables
because they feel that when people buy tofu they also tend
to buy vegetables; so tofu sells vegetables. So the produce
department does not like tofu to be sold in the dairy case.
Another problem with an isolated glass case is that the tofu
does not get as much attention as it should, and may be
allowed to go out of date. But Bill feels it doesn’t matter that
much where the tofu case is located, as long as the consumer
knows where it is. Moreover, Azumaya sells Kikkoman tofu,
which can be sold in the produce case.
Azumaya dates their tofu for a 30-day shelf life, but that
is very conservative to allow for mishandling. Under typical
good conditions it will stay fresh for up to 50 days. But he
feels it would be a mistake to date the tofu for 50 days and
to use that as a selling tool, as Nasoya does. Azumaya has
almost no problems with spoilage, puffi ng or souring. If
there is a problem, the company investigates it. It is generally
caused by a refrigeration problem, or letting the product
stand for a long time in the back room, unrefrigerated,
because people are too busy to get to it. Safeway now sells
Azumaya tofu in Hawaii, at far below Hawaii tofu prices. On
the East Coast Azumaya undersells Nasoya. Bill is too busy
with Stir Fruity (tofu yogurt) to start a tofu plant on the East
Coast.
The new Mori-Nu ad about water disaster and life
preserver is incorrect in saying that water-pack tofu has a
shelf life of “mere days.”
Azumaya distributes Kikkoman aseptically packed
tofu. He strongly prefers the fl avor of his own product.
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 307
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
Conclusion: FDA should have different temperature
standards and “potentially hazardous” defi nitions for
pasteurized and unpasteurized tofu. Azumaya and the
Soyfoods Association should take the lead in educating FDA
on these points. Address: President, Azumaya Inc., 1575
Burke Ave., San Francisco, California 94124. Phone: 415-
285-8500.
840. Mizono, Bill. 1989. The comeback of Stir Fruity soy
yogurt (Interview). SoyaScan Notes. Sept. 21. Conducted by
William Shurtleff of Soyfoods Center.
• Summary: Bill is too busy with Stir Fruity to start a tofu
plant on the East Coast of the USA. First Azumaya did a
direct store delivery with Stir Fruity to prove that it was
a good product. Lucky stores have just started this week
ordering it through their warehouse. It will be in the Safeway
system in several weeks. At Safeway it started in the produce
section, but now dairy wants it back. Azumaya has their own
trucks, which can also take tofu if a store wants it. They get
more volume if they go direct, but they cannot service the
product in the store because they are not a union shop. Jofu
is now in Safeway, but (as Soyfoods Center taste tests also
noticed) it is watery, because after it comes off refrigeration
and rises above the temperature where it starts to break
down, it will not re-set because of the gelatin solidifi er it
contains. Stir Fruity will re-set. Stir Fruity is dated for a 40day
shelf life, but under typical conditions it will stay fresh
for 60 days. It contains potassium sorbate as a preservative.
Its future looks very promising. Address: President,
Azumaya Inc., 1575 Burke Ave., San Francisco, California
94124. Phone: 415-285-8500.
841. Johnson, Dale W. 1989. General uses of whole
soybeans. In: E.W. Lusas, D.R. Erickson, and Wai-Kit Nip,
eds. 1989. Food Uses of Whole Oil and Protein Seeds.
Champaign-Urbana, IL: American Oil Chemists’ Society.
vii + 401 p. See p. 12-29. Chap. 2. Proceedings of the Short
Course on Food Uses of Whole Oil and Protein Seeds held at
Makaha, Hawaii, May 11-14, 1986. [35 ref]
• Summary: Contents: Introduction: Introduction. Oriental
nonfermented products: Yuba, kinako Thai desserts (tofu
guan, med khanoon), Thai foods (protein crisp, cooked
baby food, canned evaporated soybean milk, taow-huey,
kanom ping kaset). Fermented foods: Natto, hama-natto, tao
tjo (a miso-type product made in Indonesia and Thailand),
ontjom (made from peanuts, coconut press cake, or okara),
kochu chang, ketjap, sufu, yogurt-type products, tauco, soy
sauce, miso, tempeh. Western world type products. Full
fat soy fl our (enzyme active, heat treated). Soybean hulls.
Whole soybeans in animal feed. Chapatty [chapati]. Full fat
soy grits. Heat treatment of soybeans. Heat treatment and
texturizing. Low-fat products. Snacks (soynuts–dry roasted
or oil roasted, plain or seasoned). Soybean sprouts. Soy
butter [soynut butter]. Combinations of soybeans and cereals.