Research on improving tofu production technology

Tofu cheese is produced through the coagulation of soy milk proteins. However, the product does not always meet the desired rheological and organoleptic properties. A promising direction is the use of combined coagulation-stabilizing systems. The study investigated the effect of various salt coagulants and polysaccharide hydrocolloids on the formation of a protein clot, as well as on density, elasticity, hardness, and water-retention capacity, and on the yield of the finished product by mass. It has been found that it is rational to use a complex of calcium gluconate as a coagulant and k-carrageenan as a structure-forming agent to form a dense, form-stable white clot with positive organoleptic characteristics. Additionally, moisture, protein content, pH, and sample hardness have been determined, which makes it possible to comprehensively characterize the developed product from a technological and nutritional point of view. An assessment of the amino acid composition of the obtained tofu shows that the values of the amino acid score (ACC) ranges from 37.4 to 117.1 %, in soy – from 124.8 to 195.3 %. The limiting amino acid in soy is lysine – 124.8 %, in tofu - the sum of sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine, the amino acid score of which is 37.4 %. Tryptophan (195.3 %) has the highest ACS values in soybeans, while tofu has the sum of phenylalanine and tyrosine (117.1 %). The biological value of cheese compared to soy has reduced from 68.9 % to 56.3 %, which has been due to a decrease in the balanced amino acid composition as a result of technological processing.