Course:FNH200/Projects/2024/Interview with a soybean factory owner
Introduction
In this interview, we talk to a soybean factory owner with 15 years of experience in running, managing and operating a business that sells a variety of soybean products including Tofu, soy milk and dried bean curd. We asked questions based off our curiosity and from the concepts learned from FNH 200, from food standards and regulations to preservation techniques including thermal and dehydration procedures.
Interview Questions with Answers
1. How long were you in the food industry? Did it include working in other companies outside of Honaji Foods?
15 years, we started the factory in 2004. The name of the factory was Honaji Foods LTD. We have closed it down since 2019.
2. What made you want to be apart of this community?
There was a lot of opportunity as there was a growing Chinese community in Canada and we wanted to contribute to the Chinese food culture in Canada since we immigrated here from Tianjin. Also products like Tofu have more protein and are more healthy, making it a unique food for consumers who are aiming for a higher protein diet. There were not many companies selling soybean products at the time, only Sunrise foods. However, we did find lots of competition with other small business food companies and only one company could sell to T&T supermarkets, which would boost sales.
3. What do you think is one thing you have learned during your time in this industry which you believe is very valuable?
We learned a lot about the food business and how to succeed and make the best product possible. Also, we made sure to not produce and sell any low value foods as that would hinder sales.
4. Can you tell us about your background and how you got into the soybean industry?
My father had a tofu factory in China so we just opened another in Canada. The method of producing soybean products is very different from China and Canada as our products are more popular in China, which tend to have better sales. We also require further processing in Canada, as many Canadians are not as familiar with the cooking process of soybean products like Tofu, so we have to make it easier for them to cook it and prepare their meals. Also we added more variety of soybean products (sweeter products) to fit the Canadian customer preference. Our flavors include original flavor, soy sauce flavor, original flavor soy milk, sweet and unsweet soy milk, black sesame flavor sweet and unsweet soy milk.
5. Can you describe the process of turning raw soybeans into the final product?
The first step is to look for high quality soybean, we chose to import from the US because the soybean have higher protein content than that of Toronto. An example of a food processing technique would be that of soy milk. First, the soybean would be put into a tray and heated until they are very hot. The skin of the soybean would then be checked after a while and picked up put into a tray, where they would be "squared" (made into a square form), cooled, and grinded in a machine with water where the soy milk would be produced. The soy milk would then be pasteurized and is immediately cooled down, packaged and labelled.
For Dried bean curd skin, we place the soybean into a compression machine under high pressure which pushes out the water content. Then we air dry and cook it, then package it.
6. How did you ensure the quality and consistency of your products?
Keep track of storage temperatures to make sure that the products are safely stored, the shelf life of the products are labelled and checked constantly once sold. Some products can have a lower shelf life than others, depends on the moisture, for example, bean curd skin is a dry product and will have a longer shelf life than tofu which has a higher water activity.
7. Can you describe the food safety management system you implemented in your factory?
Especially for tofu, storage temperature are constantly monitored and the temperature used for pasteurization of soy milk is regularly checked to make sure it is adequate. For packaging, employees have to wear a special uniform gear that covers them completely and wear a hairnet to avoid contamination of the food. Plastic packaging which stores the Tofu in a vacuum environment by sucking all the air out.
8. What do you think of the future of the soy or plant-based food industry? What are the opportunities and challenges that the industry will see?
Soybean and plant-based foods have a positive impact for women's health and I think it will be more popular in the future as it is very healthy, which most consumers are interested in, due to its high protein content and low fat. There will be more opportunities than challenges in my opinion due to those reasons.
9. What measures do you take to prevent pests from accessing and causing damage to the food in the factory?
Every week, we contact pest control, to make sure the food is not contaminated with any potential pests. Also, it is also very important as soybeans really attract mice, so the frequency of pest control has to be high.
10. Are there any risks with plastic packaging? If so, how are they mitigated?
Not really, as we use a special food quality plastic that makes it safe for the food to be stored in. Also, it is stored in a vacuum medium, which will hinder growth of bacteria. Vacuum packaging prolongs the shelf-life of our products, and pre-sanitize our packaging materials by heating them at high temperatures and then cooling, prior to packaging our products.
11. How do you check the quality of your soybean products during processing?
The soybean must be high protein which ensure product (like bean curd skin) will be stronger and chewier and therefore will contribute to a better quality product. Therefore, we chose soybean from the US because the protein content is higher compared to Canadian soybean from Toronto, even though the price is higher when importing from the US. But to check the quality of the final product, after packing, we check that the temperature, appearance and overall quality is up to standard for delivery to the consumer market. For soy milk, we check that it is concentrated enough. We also check if the bean curd skin is tender and high enough quality.
12. Is there anything you’ve learnt from this business that’s changed your perspective on the food industry?
Making food convenient for customers, making cooking much easier.
13. What is the procedure you end up dealing with when products don’t meet your standards?
They are disposed of in waste in the garbage.
14. Have you noticed anything in particular about the demand for these products over the years? As well as the availability of these products?
A higher demand in soybean products as they are healthier options with higher protein content and an increased availability of these soybean products.
15. Are there any other products you considered working with before dealing with soy beans?
Soybean protein, as they are very high in demand and are very rich in protein content. They are also very easy for customers to prepare and come in a variety of flavors.
5 Points of Interest at the site (transcript)
(Refer to YOUTUBE for 5 minute video: https://youtu.be/ymr6qzk5v7s)
A.) Expiration Date:
The point of interest chosen here was the expiration date present on the packaging as 2018/NOV/06 and was packaged close to the expiry date. This relates to the FNH 200 as in this course, we learned different principles of food preservation and the 3 main classification of foods, which are: perishable foods lasting for less than 60 days, semi-perishable food lasting for 2-6 months, and shelf stable foods which lasts more than 6 months. The photo shown in the point of interest video is a perishable food as it only lasts for up to 30 days. This is because, not all moisture was taken out to preserve the texture of the product. Thus, having a shorter shelf life than other "dried" foods according to the interviewee.
B) Packaging information of Deep Fry Tofu Puffs:
The point of interest chosen here was the packaging of the deep fried tofu puffs. This relates to FNH 200 as it shows all of the core labelling requirements we learned in this course. For example, we learned that labels must include it core components which are: bilingual labeling, common name of food, country of origin, date marking and storage instructions, identity and place of business irradiated foods, legibility and location, list of ingredients in descending order of proportion, nutrition facts label (all in specified amount of food), net quantity of food, sweeteners, and other mandatory information. In this point of interest, we are able to see all of the core labelling requirements, thus relating to FNH 200.
C) Different Flavors of Soy Milk:
The point of interest chosen here was the different flavours of soy milk. That being sweet original (red cap) and black sesame (blue cap). This relates to FNH 200 because we learned the different flavor factors which, are made up of two senses including taste and smell/aroma. We learned that to taste something, the substance must be water soluble and interact with appropiate sensory receptors on the tongue and that for aroma to be detected, the substance must be fat soluble and volatile so that it can interact with the odour/aroma receptors in the olfactory region of nasal passages. This also relates to FNH 200 as we learned the basic tastes and which chemicals cause the taste in certain flavors such as sweetness and bitterness. For example, in this point of interest, the sweet original soy milk has its taste of sweetness due to simple sugars where as the black sesame has a bitter flavor due to the presence of alkaloids.
D) Storage Temperature of Tofu Desserts:
The point of interest chosen here was the storage temperature required to store tofu desserts. This relates to FNH 200 since we learned the optimal conditions for refrigerated foods where it is mentioned that maintenance of controlled temperature is very important to ensure maximum storage life of foods.This also relates as we learned in FNH 200 that each food has an optimum fridge condition for maximum storage life and retention of quality and nutritional value. Here, it is shown that the optimum fridge conditions is between 0-4 degree celsius as marked by the interviewee. Lastly, because this point of interest is storage temperature, it is noteworthy to state that putting these products in the fridge slows down chemical, enzymatic reaction, and microbial growth to prolongs it shelf life which is also something we have learned in FNH 200.
E) Nutrition Facts and Ingredient List of Tofu Dessert:
The point of interest here was the nutrition facts and ingredient list on the tofu dessert. This relates to FNH 200 as both, the ingredient list which descends in the order of proportion and nutrition facts label are apart of the core labeling requirements. For example, we learned in FNH 200 that the nutrition facts table must show:
(all in specified amount of food)
- calories (kcal)
- amount of fat, saturated and trans fats (g)
- cholesterol (mg)
- sodium (mg)
- carbohydrate (g)
- fiber (g)
- sugars (g)
- protein (g)
-calcium (mg)
- iron (mg)
- vitamins A and C
Summary of the Interview
In the interview we learned a lot about soybean processing into products such as soy milk and tofu. In Lesson 1, we learned the importance of controlled atmosphere storage to maintain the quality of food product. This was no different as we learned that the tofu, soy milk and other food products were stored in adequate temperatures and environments that were regularly checked to make sure the food products would not get spoiled or damaged. Moreover, we learned the impact of low-fat and high protein foods are in the food industry, which is what led to a rise in demand of soybean products. Therefore, no fat or sugar substitutes were needed as they were already low on both of them. For the packaging of the tofu, a special food quality plastic was used to prevent any reactions between the tofu and the plastic packaging which could hinder the quality or nutritional value of the food due to protein denaturation. The packaging material was pre-sterilized to ensure the packaging material was not contaminated with any harmful bacteria and was used to package the tofu. The air from the package was then sucked out to create a vacuum medium, to inhibit the growth of spoilage causing aerobic bacteria (bad bacteria), prolonging the shelf-life of the product, from Lesson 7, we learned that this procedure is known as vacuum packaging and is a form of MAP (modified atmosphere packaging).
For the preparation of soy milk, we learned that the soybeans are grinded with water in a grinding machine and raw soy milk is extracted. This soy milk is then pasteurized by heating it at high temperatures for a short amount of time to kill the pathogenic (ugly) bacteria then cooling immediately after, a procedure we are familiar with from Lesson 6, where we learned that the pasteurization process is completed for around 15 seconds where the milk would be heated for minimum 72°C. The reason why we heat the milk for such a short period of time is to avoid loss of the taste and texture of the milk because of Maillard reactions (Lesson 2) where reducing sugars in the milk react with milk protein at high temperatures which affect the taste of the milk, and oxidative rancidity (Lesson 5) reactions of milk fat with oxygen at high temperatures.
Furthermore, for the preparation of bean curd skin, the soybeans are placed into a high pressure compression machine that expels most of the free water from the soybean. Then, the resulting bean curd skin extracted is dried in a method similar to tray (air) drying as mentioned in Lesson 8, where the bean curd skin is heated at high temperatures and is cooked.
The soybean products produced by Manager Zhang ranged from perishable foods like pasteurized soy milk as it has a shelf life of under 60 days and still contains spoilage causing microorganisms (bad microorganisms) as they have not been commercially sterilized as well as tofu, which is also a perishable food (Lesson 5) due to its high water activity, which supports microbial growth, chemical and enzymatic reactions, thus lowering its shelf life (Lesson 2). However, the bean curd skin is a shelf-stable food (Lesson 5) as it lasts over 6 months due to it being dehydrated via tray (air) drying, lowering its water activity and, as we learned in Lesson 8, microorganisms stop growth at water activity below 0.6.
Pest control is very important in the soybean industry, and as mentioned in Lesson 5, it is very important for companies to undergo pest management procedures. At Honaji Foods LTD, a pest control team would be called in weekly to ensure the factory was free from rodents, which were attracted to soybean and would cause significant damage to the food products and therefore food quality as well as production cycle.
Interview Reflection
Meeting with a soybean factory owner allowed us to explore various facets of the soybean product industry and insights into the operational, regulatory, and market dynamics of running a soybean product business. As students in FNH 200, which focuses on food, nutrition, and health, we approach this interview as informed consumers curious about soybeans' production and nutritional aspects, a staple in many diets worldwide.
Some of the takeaways from this interview include the significance of soybean's nutritional value. The factory owner's emphasis on the nutritional benefits of soybeans, such as their high protein content, essential amino acids, and isoflavones, reinforced our coursework on the health benefits of plant-based diets. This aligns with our studies in Lesson 13 on the role of soybeans, which contain Vitamins C and E, which reduce risks of heart disease and cancer and lower cholesterol. Soybeans also contain protease inhibitors, which can have anti-cancer properties by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. The presence of these components in soybeans contributes to their potential to reduce the risks of heart disease and certain cancers (Lesson 12).
This interview also enriched our understanding of the complicated and tedious food safety and quality control measures. The factory owner highlights the stringent testing procedures to adhere to the food safety standards in Canada and the consumer market, as well as builds trust and credibility in the soybean market. The interviewer remarks that one of the most challenging aspects of the food industry is to build trust and credibility and sell her product in a competitive marketplace. We learned that any deviations from the standard appearance and texture of the soybeans might indicate spoilage, contamination, improper storage conditions, etc., which compromises food safety (Lesson 4, 5).
While the interview clarified many aspects of soybean production, it also helped us explore more questions about the discussion of the use of genetically modified soybeans to enhance yield and resistance to pests. In lesson 9, we delve into the uncertainties of the GMO's long-term impacts. While it may increase crop yields and enhance nutritional content, there may also be long-term adverse effects on consumer health and the environment.
In the future, to advance the sharing of knowledge of the soybean industry's product industry, we can encourage community-level initiatives, such as workshops and factory production visits, to give consumers firsthand experience and knowledge about soybean farming and production.
Potential Final Exam Question
Soy milk has a pH of 6.72. A soybean factory owner decides to transition the thermal processing of soymilk by means of utra-high temperature processing (UHT) with aseptic packaging. The F-value of the soymilk is 12 seconds and its Z-value is 7°C. What is the soymilk's D-value at 107°C?
A: 1200 seconds (20 minutes)
B: 240 seconds (4 minutes)
C: 10 seconds
D: 100 seconds
Correct answer: D: 100 seconds. This is because the soymilk is a low acid (pH >4.6) and therefore, the F-value has a margin of safety of 12D applied.
12 seconds = 12D, so D = 1 second.
Then as we learned in Lesson 6, the 1 second D value is determined from a temperature of 121°C and since we know the Z-value is 7°C, we know that as we decrease the temperature by 14°C, the D value increases by 2 log cycles, so the D value of the soymilk at 107°C is 1 second * 100 = 100 seconds.
A reason why this question should be asked on the final exam is the Professor's clear goal of making us understand D-values, F-values and Z-values. In the food industry, knowing what these values mean and using them to calculate the time and temperature needed to sterilize the food is very important to protect consumer safety. This question incorporates all of those 3 types of values and the step by step breakdown of how to solve this question would help prepare students for solving these sort of questions to prepare for the final exam!
References
Jie Zhang, Personal Communication, August 5th,2024