Biochemical characterization of irradiated soybean and nutritional and sensory evaluation of water-soluble soybean extract

The techniques used for the preservation and processing of foods can interfere with their nutritional and organoleptic quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidants of irradiated soybean cultivars and to determine the most suitable method of processing of water-soluble soybean extract (WSE) from their nutritional and sensory characterization. Different soybean cultivars irradiated with doses of 2, 4 and 8 kGy were submitted to biochemical analysis. The WSEs were produced by hot and cold extraction and subjected to physicochemical, biochemical, microbiological and sensory analyses. Phenolic compounds increased in the cultivars irradiated with the dose of 4 kGy or higher. However, flavonoid content, antioxidant capacity and oxidant/antioxidant enzymes remained stable regardless of the irradiation dose, except for SOD of cultivar BRS-213 whose activity was reduced at the dose of 8 kGy. Sensory acceptance was obtained for the WSE produced by hot extraction but not by cold extraction, while the latter exhibited higher protein and lipid content.