Stories
Taste Like Mutton, 100% Vegetarian! How Soy Chunks Are Made: A Factory Process Revealed
- •Soy chunks, a major protein source for vegetarians, are 100% plant-based and made through an advanced factory process.
- •The process begins with selecting high-quality soybeans, which are cleaned and de-hulled to remove impurities.
- •Oil is extracted from soybeans using hydraulic pressing, leaving behind a protein-rich dry pulp called de-fatted soy.
- •This de-fatted soy is ground into flour, mixed with water, and processed in an extruder to create a porous, meat-like texture.
- •The moist chunks are then dried for preservation, and their affordability stems from manufacturers selling the extracted soybean oil separately.
Key Questions Answered
Soy chunks are made by cleaning high-quality soybeans, peeling their husks, and using hydraulic pressing to completely extract the natural oil. The remaining de-fatted soy pulp is ground into flour, mixed with water, and processed through an extruder under immense heat and high pressure to create a porous, meat-like texture before being dried.
Soy chunks are affordable because manufacturers extract and sell the valuable soybean oil separately for profit. The chunks themselves are produced from the remaining de-fatted soy flour left over after the oil extraction process, which significantly reduces the overall production cost.
Yes, soy chunks are 100 percent plant-based and made from defatted soy flour rather than any animal products. Their unique, spongy, and chewy texture is achieved when the soy flour and water mixture is cooked under high temperature and pressure inside an extruder machine, which alters the protein bonds.
