Soymilk and Lactic Acid Fermentation

Modern consumers are directing their attention to functional foods that have both nutritional value and enhanced health benefits. This has led to an increased interest in non-dairy fermented soy products. They can become part of the growing market for functional foods, or carriers of probiotics for a specific category of consumers. A big challenge is to transform the beneficial, but non-digestible ingredients into a bioavailable form, transforming them into novel nutritional and efficient products. The aim of the present review is to summarize the role of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the transformation of isoflavones, non-digestible oligosaccharides and insoluble proteins of soymilk. During fermentation, LAB of various genera, often recognized as probiotic, can play a significant role in improving the nutritional/favorable profile of soymilk and soy yogurt-like products. In addition, the role of LAB strains in the reduction of negative gastrointestinal effects typical of unfermented soybean milk is discussed. This beneficial role is proven to be strain-specific. Characterization of the role of lactobacilli in soymilk fermentation is a prerequisite for successful selection of strains with metabolic activities appropriate for the development of new types of functional foods with enriched properties, desirable to both people with health problems and the increasing vegan population.