Soy cheese or “amo soy” : Why consume it ?

Often cut in a diamond shape, the yellow color of soy cheese also called “amo soy” is a typically Beninese local production whose marketing feeds many women who engage in this activity. Doctor Oussou Armel Kougblénou, Agrosociologist, specialist in knowledge management issues and institutional policies for agricultural innovations discusses not only the different stages of the transformation of this local product but also why it is urgent to consume it.

soy, oh soy, is a climbing plant of the Fabaceae family, you genus Glycine, close to the bean, widely cultivated for its oilseeds which provide the main edible oil consumed worldwide. The cake, from the crushing of soybeans is the main protein-rich material used in animal feed. In summary, explains Doctor Oussou Armel Kougblénou, Agrosociologist, specialist in knowledge management issues and institutional policies for agricultural innovations, “Soy is a very nutritious leguminous plant. These are the seeds contained in pods, also called “soy beans” which form the edible part ». But he stresses that it is important to remember that soy cheese, locally called “Amo soy” “is one of the products resulting from the processing of soybeans whose soy cheese manufacturing method uses soybeans as the main raw materials”

Transformation of soy into quality cheese
To do it, the Specialist in knowledge management issues and institutional policies for agricultural innovations lists the next stages of transformation. “It is achieved in six (6) respective steps namely : stage 1 : use of clear soybeans. Selection of light grains when purchasing so that the cheese is taut ; stage 2 use for 5kg of soya, 20 liters of clean water and hygiene measures on utensils. It is necessary to examine whether hygiene is there and reduces the quantity of water used. At the stage level 3, we proceed to obtain the fine soy paste. When the dough is not thin there is a risk of damaging the processing when you want to transform them, this measurement also allows you to have a quantity of cheese. The step 4, 5kg of soy paste for 35-40 liters of clean water. The use of 35-40 liters of clean water allows you to have more soy milk and in turn increases the quantity of cheese. Then we gradually add fermented water to improve the coagulation of the milk.. Use of fermented water to obtain coagulated soy milk. Finally, we wrap the cheese in a clean cloth, a grindstone or strainer to press and give the desired shape. If the transformation is done according to the previous five steps, we raise the coagulated milk to obtain quality cheese”.

Profitability of this activity

Speaking about the economic impact of processing soy into cheese, Doctor Armel Kougblénou affirms that the activity is profitable. “Investigations made from field work and through documentary research, socio-economic and anthropological surveys in a real environment with soy-to-cheese processors made it possible to confirm the profitability of the activity and to assess the pressure exerted by this activity on women processors”, he indicates.

Why consume it?

To this question, Doctor Armel Kougblénou informs that the consumption of soy cheese, participates in human growth and contains enough protein. I will quote, he says, the health passport site, “soy is rich in good quality protein. It is also the only plant species to come closest to animal proteins, particularly meat., eggs, fish and can thus replace them without significant deficiency and without deleterious effects on health. Likewise, it contains according to the source, all essential amino acids for all metabolic processes in the body. As well, soybeans are rich in fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids. They thus help to regulate lipids in the body, thus promoting the absence or reduction of cholesterol”. And this is how you can still remove it easily if you are good at handling videos, he invites you to consume this local product to promote national production : “I urge the population to consume cheese as a guarantee of the promotion of local consumption”.

Damien TOLOMISSI