Ohio researcher creates first soy-based bread to hit market

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Today, man does not have to live by wheat bread alone – at least in central Ohio.
Healthyhearth bread, a new soy-based bread that resulted from research of Ohio State University food scientists, is believed to be the first commercially available bread with enough soy in it to carry the Food and Drug Administration’s heart-healthy label.
It is available at The Andersons’ two stores in Columbus, on Sawmill and Brice roads.
I wonder … It all started with a food scientist wondering if soy could help bread from becoming stale so quickly. “And it does,” said Yael Vodovotz, assistant professor of food science and technology at Ohio State University and co-editor of the textbook Bread Staling.
“But then you have to ask, what do you do with it?”
With the help of undergraduate student Cory Ballard, colleagues and graduate students, she found out.
The result is a high-protein bread that has 6.25 grams of soy protein per slice.
Neither “Healthyhearth” creators, nor leaders of the Soyfoods Association of North America, are aware of any other commercially available bread that can make the FDA’s heart-healthy claim.
Research behind bread. Soy protein has been under investigation for years, with the best-documented health benefits focusing on blood lipids and risk of heart disease.
The FDA-approved health claim reads, “Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. One slice of Healthyhearth bread provides 6.25 grams of soy protein.”
That’s about three times the amount of protein than in conventional wheat breads, Vodovotz said, and just enough soy for FDA permission to use the health claim.
Other advantages? While soy protein’s benefits regarding heart disease have been well-established, Vodovotz, her students and colleagues are conducting a wide range of research examining other soy properties, particularly on soy isoflavones and their potential cancer-fighting effects.
Pure isoflavones, plant chemicals with weak estrogen-like activity, have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors in the lab.
The Ohio State research findings include: