A team of researchers fromNanyang Technological University Singapore（新加坡NTU）和Waseda University试用了使用大豆废物来减少大鼠的肥胖症。
The researchers found that fermented soybean waste, or okara, has the potential to improve fat metabolism and mitigate the effects of diet-induced obesity, while also addressing issues of food waste.
Alongside the trial, the team successfully formulated okara into an eco-friendly 3D printable ink, which they say could pave the way for food 3D printing to improve food sustainability.
“Our findings suggest that fermented okara could help mitigate the harmful effects of a high-fat diet, and could potentially be integrated in the diets of obese patients who find it difficult to make immediate lifestyle changes,” said Dr Ken Lee, Senior Lecturer at the NTU School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
Addressing obesity with okara
Okara is a major by-product of soymilk and tofu production, and despite retaining abundant nutrients after the production process, is often under-utilized. With around 14 million tons of okara is generated every year, the researchers identified an opportunity to solve both issues of food waste and obesity in one go by releasing the ingredient’s untapped nutrients.
为了增强Okara的营养概况，该团队使用用于制造发酵大豆食品（例如味o，酱油和tempeh）的典型过程，从新加坡的豆腐制造商那里收集了Okara。研究人员添加了食品级微生物，即Aspergillus Oryzae和Aspergillus Sojae，并将其放到Okara中，并将其发酵四天。
After the fermentation process, the scientists found the okara had more protein, higher antioxidant properties, and less insoluble dietary fiber.
“Using a process akin to what is used to produce miso and soy sauce, we fermented okara and fed it to mice on a high-fat diet,” said Lee. “Three weeks later, we found that these mice gained less weight as compared to mice on a high-fat diet but without fermented okara. The mice that were fed fermented okara also had less fat and lower cholesterol levels.”
Developing an okara-based 3D printable ink
Mice that were fed fermented okara every day gained the least body mass (3g) in comparison to other groups that gained between 6kg to 10kg. The first group also had less visceral and subcutaneous fat of 30g and 19g respectively, than the groups that were not fed fermented okara (67g and 53g respectively).
发酵的Okara饮食中的小鼠还发现甘油三酸酯的降低降低，这是由于参与脂肪酸合成的蛋白质显着下降。根据研究人员的说法，他们的发现表明了Okara抑制饮食引起的肥胖症的潜力。
Working with partners in Singapore, the team has successfully converted fermented okara into an eco-friendly 3D printing ink that could be used in food 3D printing to improve both food waste sustainability and the health of consumers. The teamannounced the development in January, with the approach based on the direct ink writing process that is novel in that it requires no thickening agents whatsoever.
The researchers are currently reaching out to industry partners to produce healthy snacks with their okara-based 3D printing ink, and explore how okara can be integrated into other food products.
“Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus sojae, which are typical aspergillus fungi used to produce soy sauce and miso, were successfully combined to ferment okara,” said Dr Shigenobu Shibata, Professor at the Waseda University Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering. “Compared to unfermented okara, fermented okara was found to be able to reduce obesity and improve abnormal lipid metabolism in mice. Tofu and soymilk are now widely accepted as health foods not only in Japan but in the world, and the effective use of okara, which is an industrial waste, is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“I hope NTU and Waseda University, each with their unique strength, will continue to promote such joint research centered on graduate students and young researchers.”
Further information on the study can be found in the research paper titled:“固态用曲霉属发酵奥卡拉。改善脂质代谢和高脂饮食诱发肥胖症，”发表在《代谢物杂志》上。这项研究由N. Ichikawa，L。ShiuanNg，S。Makino，L。Goh，Y。Im，Ferdinandus，H。Sasaki，S。Shibata和C. Lee共同撰写。
Repurposing soybean waste via 3D printing
The NTU and Waseda team is not alone in exploring howfood waste can be repurposedfor various applications, in line with循环经济原则. In particular, waste from the soybean production process has proved suitable for a wide range of 3D printing applications in the past, includingwithin the construction sector.
Soybean waste has previously been used in the formation of newedible plant-based gel materials可以在3D上印刷以形成研究人员Zhejiang University, for example, and by theUniversity of Louisvilleto form 3D printable轻巧的天然纤维复合材料.
Researchers from华盛顿州立大学have even developedsoy-infused 3D printed scaffolds能够抵抗癌细胞。
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特色图片显示soy hulls are a by-product of soybean production. Image by Daina Krumins.
