It was a long struggle for Queenbee Enterprises to process okara or soybean curd, a by-product of soybean milk processing that results in tons of wastes every day.
The Department of Science and Technology-National Capital Region (DOST-NCR) facilitated industry dialogues and brainstorming sessions between Queenbee Enterprises and experts from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines to come up with a solution to process okara wastes into soy flour which may later be used in producing pastries, specifically pancake premix. This process will lead to repurposing
waste materials coming from different products and creating added value, benefitting both the company and the consumers. The project is one of the many R&D initiatives under the Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) Program, which is under the bigger Science for Change Program managed by the Office of the Undersecretary for Research and Development of the DOST.
DOST-NCR funded the said project titled “Development of Optimum Dehydration Process and Characterization of Soy-Residue for By-Product Utilization” to process okara wastes.
The project aims to determine the optimum dehydration process parameters for soy residue and characterize the physicochemical, microbiological, and functional properties of wet and dried okara generated from soymilk production. Dried okara derived from these tests will be optimized for food application.
Outputs of the project are an optimized process of producing soy residue flour and a developed formulation for pancake premix which will later be marketed by Queenbee Enterprises as a part of its growing product line. (By Bianca Claudette R. Canlas – DOST-NCR)