ABSTRACT
With public attention focusing on proper nutrition, there is an increasing interest in the nutritional value of vegetable protein products on the part of the general public, dieticians, nutritionists, public health workers, regulatory personnel, educational groups and members of the food industry. A review of dietary trends with vegetable proteins should cover the experiences with these ingredients during the past three decades and focus not only on nutritional and health topics, but also on the organoleptic, cost, socio-economic, cultural, political and regulatory considerations used when these ingredients were introduced into institutional and consumer foods. Although proteins can be obtained from a number of plant sources, from a practical standpoint, it is very difficult to compete with the oilseed proteins-especially those from the soybean, in terms of availability, nutritional value, functionality and cost. For this reason, soy protein has a prominent place in the scientific/trade food uses and nutrition programs.
