Date: 15/10/2025

Did you know that texture is one of the most decisive attributes in food acceptance? Especially in desserts such as ice cream and creamy drinks, where softness makes all the difference in the consumer's sensory experience. To meet this demand, the food industry has been seeking functional solutions that combine technological quality, versatility, and nutritional value.

In this scenario, active defatted soy flour emerges as a strategic ingredient. Unlike inactive versions, its preservation of protein activity confers unique properties of aeration, emulsification, and water retention, which can be exploited in different food matrices. (Kinsella, 1979).

The goal is to offer an in-depth technical overview of how this ingredient can add functionality and differentiation to the food industry's portfolio.

In this article, you will find:

What is active defatted soy flour?

Soy flours are products obtained by finely grinding hulled soybeans with total fat or defatted flakes made from hulled soybeans. This characteristic differentiates it from inactive soy flour, in which intense heat treatment reduces or eliminates technological properties such as solubility, emulsification, and foaming capacity.

In human nutrition, due to its high production potential, low cost, and high nutritional value, soy has stood out as an important source of vegetable protein. Its main products are soy flour, soy protein isolate, and soy protein concentrate, which are mainly used as technological enhancers in industrialized foods (LIU, 2005).

According to a study by Science Direct, in terms of composition, active defatted soy flour contains about 45 to 50% protein. For John E. Kinsella, a researcher who has distinguished himself in the study of soy proteins, these properties make active soy flour a strategic ingredient for the food industry, not only for its nutritional protein content, but also for its ability to act as a multifunctional technological agent in innovative formulations.

It is precisely from these characteristics that we can understand its applications and its role as a competitive advantage for the industry, a topic that will be explored in greater depth in the next section, dedicated to its physical, chemical, and technological properties.

Physical-chemical and technological properties: the secret to aeration, softness, and creaminess

The technological properties of soy proteins depend on the conditions and location of cultivation, harvest, and storage of the grains (Genovese; Lajolo, 1992). According to Embrapa's magazine “Tecnologias de Produção de Soja” (Soybean Production Technologies), the performance of Active Soy Flour Defatted can be explained by a set of physical-chemical properties that directly impact the structure and texture of foods.

The main properties that contribute to softness and creaminess include:

● Foam formation and stability – Soy proteins reduce surface tension, promoting the incorporation and retention of air in food systems. This characteristic is essential for aerated desserts and ice cream, where volume and stable structure define sensory quality.

● Emulsification – Protein fractions act as natural emulsifiers, stabilizing oil/water dispersions. This property ensures uniform texture and body in ice cream and creamy beverages. “In ice cream, the more aerated it is, the softer and creamier it will taste,” says Rodrigo Nardi, who works in the research and development department at MBRF ingredients.

These properties explain why Soy Flour Defatted is considered a multifunctional ingredient: in addition to providing high-value vegetable protein, it acts as a partial stabilizer in different food matrices. In the next topic, we will see how these characteristics translate into practical applications in desserts and beverages.

Desserts and beverages with soy flour - Texture, softness, and stability guaranteed

In aerated desserts, active soy flour acts as a partial stabilizer, incorporating air and maintaining the integrity of the foam over time, resulting in greater volume and softness. In thickened beverages, its proteins contribute to viscosity and body, allowing for more consistent formulations without the need for artificial additives.

A practical example of the use of active soy flour in aerated desserts can be seen in Yoghurt-Ice Cream (YIC) formulations. In a study conducted by Mahdian et al. (2011), the product formulation contained 12% non-fat solids (SNF), 10% fat, 18% sucrose, 0.4% stabilizer-emulsifier mixture, and 0.1% vanillin, totaling 40.5% solids. The batch size was 500 g, and MSNF was replaced with soy flour at a level of 55%, which was considered ideal for maintaining the product's sensory characteristics and stability.

To obtain a homogeneous soy milk with uniform consistency and fine particles, 33 g of whole soy flour was mixed with 2.75 g of food-grade sodium citrate and combined with 27.1 g of skim milk powder in 203.5 mL of hot water (95 °C).

The mixture was stirred for about 15 minutes at 90–95 °C and then homogenized in a two-phase homogenizer (Armfield Ltd. FT9) at room temperature and pressures of 68.9 and 10.3 MPa, respectively.

The final product had a smooth texture without graininess, demonstrating the ability of active soy flour to act as a partial stabilizer, maintaining creaminess and stability even after intense thermal processing (Gandhi, 2001).

● Soy flour beverages

Soy-based beverages, when formulated with Active Soy Flour Defatted, go beyond nutritional value, offering technological functionality that directly impacts the texture, viscosity, and stability of the final product.

The proteins present in soy flour interact with water and other solids, forming networks that retain liquids and incorporate air, resulting in a full-bodied feel and uniform creaminess.

In addition, these proteins act as partial stabilizers, preventing the sedimentation of solids and maintaining the homogeneity of the beverage during storage. This effect allows for the development of innovative formulations, such as protein smoothies, vegetable shakes, and functional beverages, which combine sensory quality, nutritional value, and physical stability without the need for artificial additives.

Thus, active soy flour not only enriches beverages with high-value vegetable proteins, but also provides versatility and technological differentiation, meeting market demands for healthier, more functional, and sensorially pleasing products.

Examples of applications in aerated desserts, ice cream, and thickened beverages clearly demonstrate how active soy flour acts as a multifunctional ingredient, combining technical performance and sensory quality.

With examples in aerated desserts, ice cream, and thickened beverages, it is clear how active soy flour combines technological functionality, improved texture, and consistent creaminess, offering opportunities for innovation and differentiation in food formulations. It is in this context that defatted soy flour comes in, exploiting the full potential of this ingredient in versatile, high-performance applications.

Supper-M: Active defatted soy flour for versatile applications

Supper-M, defatted soybean meal from MBRF Ingredients, is produced from the meal resulting from soybean oil extraction, with strict control of thermal processing to preserve protein functionality.

This treatment reduces unwanted enzymatic activity while maintaining characteristics that allow it to act as a partial stabilizer, emulsifier, and water retention agent in various food applications.

Thus, Supper-M soy flour is positioned as a strategic solution for the food industry, combining technical performance, sensory quality, and functional innovation.

Final considerations

Throughout this article, it has become clear how Active Soy Flour Defatted, especially in the form of Supper-M, acts as a multifunctional ingredient capable of transforming desserts, ice cream, and thickened beverages. Its unique physicochemical properties ensure texture, softness, creaminess, and stability, while offering technological flexibility for innovative and differentiated formulations.

More than just a nutritional supplement, active soy flour stands out as a strategic solution for the food industry, enabling the creation of functional, healthy, and sensorially pleasing products that combine technical performance, innovation, and versatility.

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