This study is a follow-up to the soy and vegetable gardening project implemented in rural Qwa-Qwa, Free State as reported in the previous newsletter.

The focus of this part of the study (Phase 3) was to address household food insecurity and the resultant malnutrition in children and their caregivers by means of food provision through soy milk processing. The first phase of this project was to develop affordable and manual household soy milk extraction apparatus for processing soy beans into soy milk. The second phase was to teach the project participants on soy milk production and use in the daily diet.

Mr Henk Theron, an MTech student in Mechanical Engineering, developed the manual soy milk extraction equipment for the CSL. This was implemented in the Qwa-Qwa community on 17 and 18 April 2012 through a training programme conducted by Dr Sarie Duvenage, assisted by Dr AA Egal (Senior Researcher) and Miss T Nyathela (DTech Hubs & Spokes student). The training programme involved the following sequences for milk production:

1. Soaking the soy beans overnight and draining the excess water before soy milk preparation.

Draining the soaked soy beans

2. Providing the participants with a milling apparatus to mince the soaked soy beans.

Participants mincing the soaked soy

3. Add water to the minced soy for cooking.

 
Soy cooking

A special pot was designed and developed by Mr H Theron to prevent the foaming effect usually associated with soy cooking.

Left: Special pot demonstration by Dr. S Duvenage / Right: Mr. H Theron

4. Preparing the developed soy extraction apparatus by inserting a milk cloth casing designed to fit the apparatus by Ms S Hugo and N van der Veen from the Tshepiso Centre of Entrepreneurial Excellence at VUT.

Inserting the casing

5. Removing the cooked mixture from the stove/fire and pouring it into the specially designed prepared milk extraction apparatus placed in a bucket. The milk is now squeezed into the bucket by pressing down the pressure shaft in the apparatus.

Soy milk processing

6. After all the soy milk (fluid) was produced, the soy milk extraction apparatus is removed and the soy milk is left in the bucket and the okara (remains from the soy beans) is left in the casing.

Left: Removing the apparatus / Right: Soy milk ready for use

7. Cleaning all the used utensils and apparatuses.

Cleaning up

8. The training concluded with teaching the participants on how to prepare soy yoghurt and using various flavourings.

Ms Nyathela and fieldworkers preparing flavourings for the soy yoghurt

Dr Duvenage demonstrating yoghurt preparation

The training workshop concluded with sensory analyses of the soy milk and yoghurt through research measuring instruments.

Sensory analyses

Each participant received all the apparatus and utensils needed for soy milk and yoghurt production at household level.

Participants receiving their apparatus and utensils

All the recipes are available in the Soy Recipe Book developed by researchers in the CSL (previous newsletter). The recipe book is available from the CSL at R150.00 a copy. If a recipe book is requested please complete details below. (Email addresses wont be disclosed.)

Prepared by: Prof. Wilna Oldewage-Theron PhD RD(SA)
Director: Centre of Sustainable Livelihoods