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The International Soybean Program, headquarted at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has served as
an international soybean resource base since 1973.
INTSOY's primary goal is to improve human nutrition
around the world through increased use of whole soybeans,
a legume rich in protein, unsaturated oils, vitamins and
minerals.
Through its past research and education efforts, INTSOY
established a cooperative of more than 500 like-minded
soybean scientists at approximately 150 national and
international organizations in more than 130 countries
around the world. Many of these scientists are working to
strengthen cooperative research on soybean marketing,
processing and utilization.
New
Products and Processes
INTSOY's current research effort is aimed at
developing:
- Combined soybean/grain, soybean/vegetable, and
soybean/fruit foods produced by extrusion
cooking.
- A low-cost village-level oil extraction process
- A simple, low-cost process to produce a
high-quality soymilk with no patent restrictions
- Immature green soybeans as a commercially viable,
high-protein green vegetable
- Simple processes for converting soybean residues
into animal feed
- Home- and village-level procedures for preparing
soybean foods for home consumption
A
Program of Mutual Benefits
This program is based on the premise that increased
soybean utilization can help meet the nutritional needs
of the world population while benefiting those who
produce soybeans. The results should include:
- Popularization of soya as a nutritious,
good-tasting food
- Improved nutrition among low-income consumer in
both less and more developed countries of the
world
- Expanded new markets for soybeans, as more people
are introduced to a wide range of whole soybean
foods
- Increased economic development, as more
entrepreneurs produce soyfoods on a commercial
basis.
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