Stinky tofu as a rich source of bioavailable S-equol in Asian diets

► Commercial stinky tofus contain significant levels of S-equol. ► Intake frequency reveals a substantial amount of S-equol has been ingested from stinky tofu in Taiwan. ► Urine kinetics indicates rapid and high absorption of S-equol from stinky tofu. ► Stinky tofu is a promising dietary source of S-equol. ► Further study on equol producing bacteria in stinky tofu is merited to develop other equol-rich nutraceuticals.