Soy beans what kind of product. Soy - medicinal properties, uses and recipes. What foods contain soy

Soy is a plant in the legume family. Nutritionists highly appreciate its nutritional value, like all soy products. It contains about 395 calories per 100 g. It contains a lot of vegetable protein (35 per 100 g), which is similar in amino acid composition to protein of animal origin. In other words, soy protein is as complete as the one found in meat. That is why it has long been actively used in the diet of vegetarians. It's popular in East Asian cuisine - just about anything they make with soy!

Soy Nutrients

soy protein extremely easily absorbed by the body, but only with an appropriate healthy intestinal microflora (this plant is broken down by bifidobacteria). However, the protein contains an extremely high amount of oxalates, so any soy products should be consumed in an amount of no more than 20-50 g per day (to avoid kidney problems). And it is not recommended to eat it daily, a maximum of 2-3 times a week.

beans contain a small amount of fat, so a person who uses them for food is not threatened with an increase in blood cholesterol.

Soy lecithin, or rather, the choline contained in lecithin, helps to restore brain cells, is useful for nervous tissue, better concentration, memory, motor, sexual activity.

This leguminous plant is very rich calcium therefore, its use not only normalizes calcium metabolism, but is also an excellent prevention of osteoporosis. The benefits of soy in this regard have been proven.

What is made from soy

This plant is also used in its natural form, and soy products are made from it: soy milk (costs about 150 rubles per liter), tofu cheese costs 60 rubles, it is inexpensive, soy meat - 30 rubles. for 250 g (usually sold in the department of diabetic products), flour, bean curd, soy sauce, children food on soy and other products made on its basis or enriched with it. By the way, we note: a product such as soy sauce is harmful (especially if consumed immoderately) because of the huge amount of salt.

Soy Isoflavones

Soybeans also contain hormone-like substances - isoflavones. In their action, they are similar to estrogens (female hormones). Therefore, excessive consumption of products that are made from soy (for example, adhering to strict vegetarianism, or fasting) can lead to disruption of the egg maturation process in women. reproductive age. The so-called "soy" infertility. However, these processes are reversible: by reducing the amount of this product in the diet or completely abandoning it, it will be possible to normalize the menstrual cycle, there will be no problems with subsequent conception and pregnancy.

And here's soy for women approaching menopause, is the best option. Soy isoflavones are beneficial. They do not allow the level of estrogen to drop sharply (a similar phenomenon is always observed in postmenopausal women). Therefore, using soy products, you can help ensure that the entire hormonal restructuring occurs gently and physiologically.

However, not everyone is shown the use of soy products. For example, many European nutritionists and doctors do not recommend the use of soy in infants. This is due to its specific hormone-like effect. Doctors express concern that a change in the hormonal status of a child may affect his subsequent health, up to the premature puberty of girls and impaired sexual development of boys. However, these are just assumptions, the harm of soy for a child's body has not been proven.

GMO soy

There are fears about the dangers of soybeans, as consumers believe that all of it is obtained using genetic engineering methods. But for the sake of truth, we note: not all soybean producers use modified raw materials. Genetically modified soybeans are mainly produced in the USA. And in many EU countries, only unchanged crops are grown, which are mainly used by manufacturers. soy milk or meat. Growing soybeans in Russia is the same. Modified components of this plant are most often found in semi-finished meats and sausages, where they are added as fillers. Although many scientists are inclined to believe that plants modified by genetic engineering are harmless, there are no long-term experiments, and, therefore, it is impossible to unambiguously speak out either “for” or “against” such products. Everyone decides for himself: whether to eat genetically modified soybeans or not, and for this you should carefully study the label of any product where its composition is indicated.

Soy is a popular food for vegetarians. They love it for its nutritional value and calorie content. But is this product really that safe? What do we even know about soy, except that vegans are crazy about it, and soy sauce is traditionally served with sushi and rolls? What are the benefits and harms of soy? Let's do a little tutorial.

What is soy

Surprisingly, about a quarter of those surveyed do not even know what soy is. Some believe that this is a type of lean meat; others suggest that this is the name of a special chemical product obtained in the laboratory; still others are sure that this is such a mushroom. In fact, it is just a plant of the legume family.

Soy grows on all continents except Antarctica. In Russia, it is cultivated on Far East. Good yields and high protein content have made soybeans a popular and valuable product. The seeds of the plant are used as food - soybeans.

Featured Products

Soybeans in their natural form are rarely eaten. Soy is usually used to make various products that people consume as an alternative to natural ones. Soy milk, for example, is added to coffee and pureed soups. With soy sausage and meat, vegetarian sandwiches and cold snacks are obtained. Well, lovers of sushi and rolls know about soy sauce.

It is interesting! Tofu cheese, which many people add to Greek salad, is also made from soy. The product is loved for its nutritional properties and delicate creamy texture.

Not everyone likes the specific taste of such products. But those who constantly eat soy foods say that you get used to it and then you can no longer switch back to natural meat, milk and cheese.

The nutritional value

Soy praises are sung because of its composition. It is believed that all its components bring only benefits to the body. What is so valuable in soybeans?

• Protein (about 50%). For this reason, soy is eaten by vegetarians who cannot get protein from meat.
• Vitamins A and E with antioxidant properties.
• Lecithin, which lowers cholesterol levels and improves metabolism.
• Phospholipids that cleanse the bile ducts.
• Isoflavones that reduce the risk of cancer cells.
• Fatty acids essential for brain function.
• Tocopherol, which prevents the aging of the body.
• A certain amount of macro- and microelements valuable to humans.

It turns out that there are certainly benefits in soy. But how far does it outweigh the harm that soy products can bring to human health?

Why soy is dangerous

Let's move on to the dubious benefits of soy products. The harm of soy is not a myth, but a scientifically confirmed fact.

For kids

Phytoestrogens, which are isoflavones, lead to a violation of children's physiological development. This is especially dangerous for girls who start developing too early. In the future, this may lead to unstable menstrual cycle and problems with childbearing. In boys, on the contrary, sexual development slows down.

Newborns who are fed mixtures with soy components are also at risk. According to the results of testing, in such babies, isoflavones in the blood are 20,000 (!) Times higher than normal. This amount of estrogen is dangerous for the development of the baby.

For women

Excessive consumption of soy products can lead to early dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, women are more susceptible to senile dementia. In China and Japan, where tofu is very popular, female dementia begins at a relatively young age.

The use of soy and products from it leads to the drying out of the brain, i.e. to weight loss of the most important organ. The reason for this is all the same isoflavones. If they enter the body regularly and in large quantities, then the cells eventually stop producing their own estrogen. Which leads to dementia.

Attention! Soy is completely contraindicated for pregnant women. The product can cause allergies in both mom and fetus.

For men

At a young age, men can consume soy products in reasonable amounts. But after 50, during the period of extinction of sexual function, they should be abandoned. Otherwise, the aging process will accelerate, sexual activity will drop completely, and due to hormonal adjustment a man may begin to gain weight.

For all

Soy consumption can cause an overgrowth of thyroid tissue in humans. The beans contain the so-called strumagenic substances that contribute to this. Enlargement of the thyroid gland negatively affects human health and can provoke the formation of goiter. Therefore, people who eat a lot of soy should also include iodine-containing foods in their diet in order to neutralize these same goitrogenic substances.

It is interesting! Approximately 50 years ago, babies were fed infant formula with soy flour. Because of this, cases of goiter formation have been identified in several children.

genetically modified soy

In the list of common products with an unflattering GMO designation, soy is one of the leading places. Why? Because an ordinary plant is quite capricious, it needs constant care. But genetically modified beans are much easier to get. They grow faster and are more unpretentious.

GMO soy often comes from Argentina. The acreage of this crop in this country is simply huge, because Hispanics love soybeans. Almost half of the cultivated genetically modified soybeans is exported, so it ends up on the tables of residents of European countries.

GMOs can contain the most dangerous substances that cause a change in the genetics of the body. If a child consumes genetically modified foods, his health deteriorates noticeably over time, his psyche is disturbed, and the risk of oncological diseases. The ingestion of GMOs in the body of an adult can cause infertility or mutations in future offspring.

Whatever the benefits of soy products, they should be consumed in moderation. In parallel, it is imperative to take iodine in order to extinguish the negative impact of goiter on the thyroid gland. Soy is contraindicated in any form for children and pregnant women. And when buying products made from soybeans, you should look at the manufacturer. It is undesirable to buy Argentine products. It is better to focus on domestic firms.

One of ancient cultures found in China, Korea and Japan is soy. The plant was brought to the European continent in the middle of the 18th century. For a long time, no one was interested in growing it on an industrial scale, and only at the very end of the 19th century this culture was noticed by English breeders, and its beneficial features appreciated.

The first soybean fields appeared in the United States at the beginning of the next century. Soon, a real soy boom began in the country, which is not at all surprising. Such an unpretentious legume as soybean:

• allows you to get huge yields;
• grows very fast;
• does not require painstaking care;
• has a high protein content;
• contributes to the prevention of many diseases;
• is used to produce a huge number of products that at first glance have nothing to do with it;
• for many years acts as a substitute for meat and milk.

The cultivated plant has trifoliate leaves and straight bare or pubescent stems that vary in height between 15 centimeters and 2 meters. Lilac flowers, or white color. The seeds are oval in shape and predominantly yellow in color. The size and weight of the seeds depends on the variety, the weight of some beans reaches 300 grams. On the territory of Russia, soybeans have been growing almost everywhere since 1924. It was at this time that they first began to think about how to adapt the beneficial properties of the plant to food production.

Useful properties of the product

Despite the fact that the plant is a cheap product, the nutritional value its for the human body is very high. So, soy and products based on it contain in large quantities:

1. Squirrels. The increased content of proteins, not less than 40%, makes soy indispensable for diabetics and people suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
2. Vitamins A and E. The presence of these vitamins allows us to talk about the antioxidant properties that the plant has, which allow it to fight excess radicals and restore the structure of damaged cells.
3. Lecithin. The element is responsible for the metabolism in the human body. Regular consumption of beans can significantly reduce weight, and bring the level of cholesterol in the blood to the required norm. The benefits of soy in this regard are undeniable.
4. Phospholipids. Elements that are directly involved in cleansing the body of bile. Their benefit is also to improve the functioning of internal organs.
5. Fatty acid. The presence of fatty acids has a positive effect on work human body generally. The amount of fat varies between 18-27%.
6. Isoflavones. Special substances that prevent the formation of cancer cells. The benefits of isoflavones are questioned by some scientists, they believe that these substances have not only beneficial properties, but can also be harmful.
7. Tocopherol. The substance has a positive effect on the immune system, prevents premature aging of body cells. It is present in the seeds of the plant in an amount of 1.3 mg/100 g.
8. Micro and macro elements. Iron, boron, potassium, aluminum, nickel, cobalt and copper are all trace elements present in the fruits of the plant. They also contain calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, silicon and sodium. The presence of iodine in the amount of 0.15-0.2 mg / 100 g is observed. great content useful substances in one plant is quite rare.
9. Carbohydrates and sugars. The amount of carbohydrates in soy reaches 20%.

In addition, soy is a low-calorie product that causes a feeling of fullness even after eating a small amount of food, which allows you not to overeat and keep the human body in good shape.

The nutritional value

The nutritional value of soy determines its beneficial properties and allows us to talk about reducing the risk of developing diseases such as:

• atherosclerosis;
• breast cancer in women;
• diabetes;
• stomach ulcer;
• hepatitis;
• psoriasis;
• anemia;
• bowel disorders.

But the benefits don't end there. Special attention soy should be addressed to women during menopause. It allows you to successfully cope with osteoporosis and hot flashes, which significantly improves the well-being of a woman, and helps to normalize her mood.

Dangerous qualities, contraindications

Natural soy, obtained in its original form, is basically harmless. But there is always a risk that excessive consumption of soy products can have a negative effect on the body. Yes, research recent years have proven that individuals suffering from thyroid disease are better off eliminating soy from their daily diet. It is quite capable of harming the endocrine system.

The increased content of isoflavones can impair blood circulation in the brain, and the presence of phytoestrogens can slow down brain activity. Regular consumption of soy as a staple food causes the development of Alzheimer's disease in older men and women.

From a large amount of soy in the diet, it is necessary to protect, first of all, children. Soy is present in many children's favorite treats, so before buying a particular product, you need to carefully study what it is made of, assess the harm and risk. The constant consumption of soy products by children under 3 years of age can disrupt their physical development. The growth of boys slows down, while girls, on the contrary, accelerates.

Pregnant girls and women should refrain from using it, as the risks of developing pathologies increase. Allergy sufferers should also be wary. The harm lies in the ability to cause severe allergic reactions.

The presence of oxalic acid in soy products can cause the development of urolithiasis. The harm of soy for kidney function has been proven for a long time, so this fact should not be ignored.

If a we are talking about a genetically modified product, even a small amount of it can cause harm. Such products have a negative impact on the reproductive system of women and have a negative impact on the development of children.

Choosing and Cooking Legumes Properly

Soy is usually packaged in plastic bags, which allows you to carefully consider the quality of the product and choose the best of what is offered by the seller. High-quality soybeans have a light yellow tint, soybeans have a perfect round shape, do not crumble or break in the hands.

Soybean has no smell and pronounced taste, therefore, when it is added to cooked dishes, it almost completely merges with them. Before preparing any dish based on soybeans, care must be taken to pre-soak them overnight. If we are talking about hard varieties, soak should be at least a day. Beans should be cooked for 2-3 hours.

The most popular and delicious soy dishes are all kinds of pâtés, sauces, soy meat, and soy-based stews. As a separate dish, beans are practically not used, which is due to the above-mentioned lack of taste and smell in soybeans. Soybeans can be roasted and eaten instead of seeds, it is not only tasty, but also brings great benefits.

Storage Features

The benefits of soy products depend not only on the way they are prepared, but also on where and how long the soy was stored. Beans have an amazing ability to absorb moisture even from the air, so the main thing in storing soy is keeping the temperature regime.

Before sending to the pantry, the beans must be inspected for the presence of damaged and split seeds, removing them from the total mass. You should also deal with debris and seeds with a damaged top layer. Beans should be protected from mold and mildew. Keeping wet beans is not recommended.

To increase the shelf life, it is necessary to pour the seeds into paper bags or fabric bags. It is better to store beans in a dry, dark place, trying not to mix freshly bought with existing ones.

Unfortunately, no precautions can prevent soybeans from spoiling, so they can be stored for no more than 1 year. Otherwise, the benefits of dishes prepared from such soy may be questioned.

Secrets of the soy diet for weight loss

Most useful product for everyone who dreams of losing weight. Weight loss with a soy diet is based on the low calorie content of the plant, high protein content and the practical absence of contraindications. The essence of the process of losing weight is as follows:

• the use of natural soy products as a substitute for dairy and meat dishes;
• combination proper nutrition based on soy diet and exercise;
• the rejection of all sweet and starchy foods;
• fatty meat and fish, fast foods are excluded from the diet.

When deciding to start losing weight with soy, you should consult your doctor, and also keep in mind that 100 grams of soy contains 381 calories. The benefit for the body is not in the maximum use of soy, but just in an attempt to limit it to 100 grams and 381 calories.

Soy is added to our usual sausages and sausages, it is found in mayonnaise and confectionery, it can be found in pasta and in almost all semi-finished products that are prepared according to the “just add water” principle.

Benefit or harm?

The vegetable protein contained in soybeans is close in quality to the proteins of meat, milk and eggs. Thanks to this, soy is able to quickly cope with the feeling of hunger and at the same time not reward you with extra calories. Soy protein contains all the essential amino acids found in animal proteins.

A deficiency of these substances can lead to a decrease in immunity and blood pressure, amino acids are necessary for our body to renew cells, tissues and organs. So if you're following a vegetarian diet, be sure to include soy-based foods in your menu. For example, residents of Japan, among whom many vegetarians, on average eat about 27 kg of soy per year, while Europeans only 3 kg. By the way, a few years ago, doctors explained the high life expectancy of the Japanese by the presence of a large number of soybeans on their table. It was believed that soy reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the blood and protects against cancer. True, recent studies have shown that rumors about the usefulness of soy are greatly exaggerated. Unfortunately, beans are unable to remove excess cholesterol from the body and cope with malignant tumors.

Beware the mutants

The main danger that awaits lovers of soy food is the risk of buying a genetically modified product. The fact is that soy very often becomes the object of experiments of geneticists. Disputes about the safety of genetically modified foods are going on around the world. However, neither supporters nor opponents have enough arguments to draw unambiguous conclusions.

But the speculation that altered food can be harmful does exist. An example of this is the birthplace of modified products in the United States. In America they have been eaten for 20 years. As a result, today one in three children in the United States is obese, and the number of allergy sufferers is growing. And although there is no reliable evidence that the reason lies precisely in the modified food, it is better not to expose yourself to unnecessary risks. You can find out if the product contains modified ingredients by the corresponding inscription on the label “Contains GMOs”, which manufacturers are required to apply.

Instead of meat

Since soy protein can become a substitute for animal proteins, convenience food manufacturers often add soy to their products to reduce the cost of their products. And sometimes it's not the most in the best way affects the taste of sausages or sausages.

You can find out what the sausage is made of if you carefully study the label. If it says "vegetable protein" on it, it's most likely soy. However, soy can also be disguised under the designations E479 or E322. It is believed that if the content of soy in semi-finished meat products does not exceed 20%, this additive will not affect their taste in any way.

What do you eat beans with?

It is almost impossible to find soybeans in the store. Simply, before you eat them, the beans need to be soaked for a day, and then boiled for several hours. And even after all these manipulations, the dish turns out, as they say, to an amateur. Therefore, beans are simply not in demand. But on the shelves of supermarkets you will definitely find soy-based products. For example:

● Soya meat. It looks like chips or stuffing. It is soaked in water, milk or wine and then cooked like regular meat. From 100 g of soy "chips", approximately half a kilo of "meat" is obtained.

● Tofu, or soy cheese. Looks like cottage cheese. Tofu seems too bland to many, but if you fry it in olive oil with vegetables and spices, it will turn out very tasty dish.

● Yuba. Yuba is actually soy milk foam. But in our country this product is much better known as "Korean asparagus", which often sits on the counter with Korean carrot. It tastes a bit like rubber, but if you flavor yuba with spices and vinegar, you get a good snack.

With sauce

Soy sauce deserves a separate story. A rare dish of oriental cuisine can do without it. In China and Japan, it successfully replaces salt.

Classic soy sauce takes a long time to make. Soybeans are cleaned, crushed and mixed with ground wheat grains. The mixture is poured with water, placed in special bags and hung out in the sun. During the fermentation process, liquid begins to ooze from the bags, which is collected and filtered. This is soy sauce. Moreover, the more wheat added to soybeans, the sweeter the sauce will be.

However, in order to get the sauce according to this recipe, it takes about a year. Therefore, a special leaven is added to the water, which accelerates fermentation. And then the preparation of the sauce takes only one month. At the same time, the sauce made fast way, in no way inferior to natural. Another thing is that unscrupulous manufacturers sometimes do not want to wait even one month and speed up the process even more with the help of various acids and alkalis. As a result, harmful impurities are formed in the sauce. Therefore, before you buy a sauce, carefully read the label. If there is a mark "natural fermentation", everything is in order.

When choosing a sauce, you need to consider its color. The darker it is, the richer the taste of the sauce. Dark sauce is best with meat dishes, but you need to add it carefully, if you overdo it a little, it will completely "clog" the taste of your dish. Light sauce perfectly "gets along" with fish, vegetables and salads.

Quality sauce is sold only in glass containers. It should not contain sediment and impurities, but additional components, such as garlic or peanuts, are only welcome by gourmets.

By the way

Women who want to have a baby, it is better to give up soy products. American scientists have found that the isoflavones contained in soy are something like natural contraceptives and can prevent the desired pregnancy.

Rating

Where is soy most commonly added?

>> Sausages and other semi-finished meat products.

>> Milk drinks.

>> Mayonnaise.

>> Candy and chocolate.

>> Margarine.

Short

Soybeans contain many valuable micronutrients, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Soy is rich in B vitamins necessary for good performance nervous system, good skin and hair, and vitamin E, which protects the body from the harmful effects of the environment.

Personal opinion

Lyudmila Lyadova:

- I don't feel sorry for Soy. I prefer more traditional products for us. For example, today I took young cabbage, cut it, added onions, carrots, apples, a little adjika, a little sugar. I put it out for about fifteen minutes - and it turned out to be a very tasty dish, it is called bigus. And when I have no time, my husband cooks. His signature dish is plov.

Soy is one of the most ancient cultivated plants. The history of cultivation of this crop is estimated at least five thousand years. Soybeans in China have been found on rocks, bones, and tortoise shells. The cultivation of soybean is mentioned in the earliest Chinese literature, dating back to the period of 3-4 thousand years BC. The famous ancient scholar of China, Ming-i, wrote that the founder of China, Emperor Huang-di (according to other sources, Shennong (Shen-Nung)), who lived about 4320 years ago, taught people to sow five crops: rice, wheat, chumiza, millet and soy. According to one of the largest soybean specialists in the USSR, V. B. Enken, soybean as a cultivated plant was formed in ancient times, at least 6-7 thousand years ago.

At the same time, the absence of remnants of this plant among the Neolithic finds of other crops (rice, chumiza) in China, as well as the semi-legendary personality of Emperor Shennong, raised doubts among other scientists about the accuracy of dating the age of cultivated soybeans. So Hymowitz (1970), referring to the work of Chinese researchers, concluded that the existing documented information about soybean domestication in China dates back to the period no earlier than the 11th century BC.

The next country where soybean was introduced into cultivation and received the status of an important food plant was Korea. The first samples of soybeans came to the Japanese islands later, in the period of 500 BC. e. - 400 AD e. Since that time, local landraces began to form in Japan. It is believed that soybeans came to Japan from Korea, since the ancient Korean states long time colonized the Japanese islands. This thesis confirms the complete identity of the soybean forms of Korea and Japan.

Soy became known to European scientists after the German naturalist E. Kaempfer visited the East and described soy in his book “Amoentitatum Exoticarum Politico-Physico-Medicarum”, published in the city. In the famous book by C. Linnaeus “Species Plantarum”, published in the first edition in 1753, soybean is mentioned under two names - Phaseolus max Lin. and Dolychos soja Lin. Then in the city, the German botanist K. Moench rediscovered soy and described it under the name Soja hispida Moench. Soybean penetrated into Europe through France in the city, but it began to be cultivated there only from the city. In the city, soybeans were first imported to England.

soy products

Soy foods, in alphabetical order:

• natto, a product made from fermented, pre-boiled whole soybean seeds;
• soybean flour - soybean seed flour;
• soybean oil - vegetable oil from soybean seeds. Often used for frying;
• soy milk - a drink based on soy seeds, white;
• soy meat is a textured product made from defatted soy flour. It resembles meat in appearance and structure;
• soy paste:
  • gochujang - Korean soy paste seasoned with lots of pepper;
  • miso is a fermented soybean paste. Used in particular to make misoshiru soup;
  • doenjang - Korean soy paste with a pungent odor. Used in cooking;
• soy sauce - liquid sauce based on fermented soy;
• tempeh is a fermented soybean seed product with the addition of a fungal culture. Has a slight ammonia smell, usually pressed into briquettes;
• tofu is a product made from soy milk, the production of which is similar to the production of cheese from cow's milk. Depending on the variety, it can have a different consistency, from soft and comparable to jelly to the consistency of hard cheese. Pressed into blocks. When frozen, it acquires a yellowish color, after thawing it becomes white and has a very porous structure;
• Yuba - dried foam from the surface of soy milk. It is used both raw (sometimes frozen) and dry.

Soy is also used for the production of vegetable or vegetarian alternatives to animal products. Vegetarian sausages, burgers, cutlets, cheeses, etc. are prepared on the basis of soy products.

By chemical structure, properties and substrate specificity, soybean inhibitors mainly belong to two families:

• Kunitz inhibitors are water-soluble proteins with a molecular weight of 20,000-25,000 Da, binding one molecule of trypsin, with a relatively small number of disulfide bridges, with an isoelectric point of 4.5;
• Bauman-Birk inhibitors are alcohol-soluble proteins with a molecular weight of 6000-10000 Da and a small number of disulfide bridges capable of inhibiting both trypsin and chymotrypsin, with an isoelectric point of 4.0-4.2.

In Russia in 2011, a record soybean harvest was harvested - 1.6 million tons.

genetic modifications

Soybean is one of the crops currently being genetically modified. GM soybeans are found in an increasing number of products.

Other

Soybean sprouts in a Beijing supermarket. The characters 黃豆 are highlighted in red, indicating natural soybeans.

Often on sale under the name "soy sprouts" are sold sprouts of mung beans (mung beans, golden beans - Vigna radiata, Phaseolus aureus), not soy. You can distinguish a real product by the presence on the original packaging with sprouts Chinese characters, meaning natural soy - 大豆 (Da dou - big bean) or 黃豆 (Huang dou - yellow bean).