Characterization functional properties of okara flour

Okara is a solid byproduct of soymilk and tofu processing with high water content, so it is very perishable. Conversion of wet okara to okara flour is one of best strategies to overcome those problems. The dietary fiber and insoluble protein content of okara are still high enough so it could be used in many processed foods. Okara has been used in many products, especially bakery products (e.g. pizza, biscuit, bread) to increase its dietary fiber and protein contents, but it will decrease the specific volume and may give impact to the properties of product.That is why to optimize the utilization of okara, its functional properties are necessary to be characterized. The functional properties of okara analyzed are solubility, water and oil absorption capacity, foam capacity and stability, and also emulsion capacity and stability. The characteristic observation replicate 4 times and the coefficient of variant set 10% to be accepted as homogenous. Emulsion capacity of okara flour was 4.7867 0.01 mL oil/g sample with its stability after 24 hours storage was 1.90 0.04 mL water/g sample and the water absorption capacity was 5.9349 0.10 mL water/g sample. Those made okara potential to be applied in emulsion based food or be added in any food system with higher water retention, such as restructured meat. Substitution of 20% okara flour made the batter emulsion better and the product specific weight lower than the control. Thereby, okara dietary fibber contributed much than protein in order to characterize its functional properties