Biovalorisation of okara (soybean residue) for food and nutrition

Studies to date have demonstrated the feasibility of okara fermentation to produce a variety of functional ingredients and foodstuffs. The health benefits and nutritional quality of okara are often enhanced by fermentation, and the fermented okara is also an inexpensive substrate for extraction of bioactive substances. Present research remains largely at bench-scale, and the main challenges are related to scaling-up, efficiency and/or yield. There is much scope for further exploration into various aspects of okara biovalorisation, including applying bioprocessing treatments as a pre-fermentation step, using combinatorial microbes or enzymes, and evaluating organoleptic property, dietary effects and potential allergenicity of the fermented products.